Sadiq Kahn, London mayor, wants Super Bowl, MLB to come to world ‘sporting capital’

Sadiq Khan made his intentions clear: He wants London to attract an NFL franchise and host a Super Bowl.

The mayor of London spoke about sports and the city in an interview with Talksport, a London-based sports radio station and website.

Khan said he was “ambitious” about attracting an NFL franchise to play its eight home games in the English capital.

“I’ve been saying since the first day I became mayor my ambition is to have more American football games in London and ultimately for there to be a franchise there and, dare I say it, even the Super Bowl,” Khan said. “I met recently one of the owners of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Shahid Khan. I’ve met the NFL commissioner on a number of occasions, most recently at the game at Twickenham this year and my team is working very closely with the NFL.”

The NFL will once again play three regular season games in London in 2018, one at Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium and two at Wembley Stadium. The idea of a Super Bowl in London, however, may receive some pushback in the U.S.

In 2017 an NFL spokesperson told the Daily Mail, “A Super Bowl in London would not be considered until such time that a UK franchise was in operation. But at that point, London would be free to participate in the Super Bowl bidding process along with other NFL cities.”

Khan was also asked about Major League Baseball on the heels of last week’s rumor that the league wants to bring a regular season series between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox to London in 2019.

Khan did not “confirm or deny” the rumor but said, “What I will tell you is that since the first week that I became mayor, my ambition has been to make sure everyone knows we are the sporting capital of the world.”

A later part of Khan’s answer is partly humorous for its English jargon referring to the American sport:

“Our ambition is to get a proper MLB game here. I had the privilege of meeting the MLB commissioner but also throwing the first pitch at a Mets game and I didn’t let London down — it went into the glove of the keeper!”