Super Bowl LVI is just over a month away, but some dramatic changes could occur in the weeks leading up to kickoff. California extended its indoor mask mandate on Wednesday through Feb. 15, meaning that fans in attendance for the Super Bowl would be required to wear masks. The Super Bowl is currently slated to take place on Feb. 13 at SoFi Stadium, but the NFL is reportedly exploring options regarding a possible location change for Super Bowl 56, per Ari Meirov.
While the NFL is exploring potential alternative sites for the 56th Super Bowl, there's no guarantee that the location of the game will actually be moved. The mask mandate has already been in place in California since mid-December, and SoFi Stadium has hosted events including a pair of Los Angeles Chargers home games and the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl since the mandate was put in place.
The entire state of California has been hit hard by COVID-19, and with the omicron variant continuing to rapidly spread, the NFL is doing its due diligence and finding potential alternatives in the event of a worst-case scenario.
“We plan on playing Super Bowl 56 as scheduled at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 13,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Wednesday via AP News. “As part of our standard contingency planning process that we conduct for all regular and postseason games, we have contacted several clubs to inquire about stadium availability in the event we cannot play the Super Bowl as scheduled due to weather-related issues or unforeseen circumstances.”
McCarthy didn't reveal which clubs were contacted as potential backup locations, however, he revealed that the NFL had been in communication with “several” clubs regarding their stadium's availability for the Feb. 13 date. It was reported that AT&T Stadium is being weighed as a potential alternative.
While the current plan is to go forth with the Super Bowl on Feb. 13, it's worth noting that the Grammy Awards show was indefinitely postponed, having originally been slated to take place at Crypto.com Arena on Jan. 31.