Chicago – May 05, 2025
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the National Football League (NFL) will hold its 2027 draft in Washington, D.C. This will be the first time the event takes place in the nation’s capital since 1940. The three-day event, which attracts hundreds of thousands of fans, will be held on the National Mall, just a short distance from the White House.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell shared that they expect over one million visitors to attend the 2027 draft, which is much more than the record 775,000 people who went to the 2024 draft in Detroit. This announcement comes just days after the Washington Commanders, the city’s NFL team, reached a deal to return to the site of their former RFK Stadium. The team played there from 1961 to 1996, during their most successful years. A new stadium is planned to open in Washington, D.C. by 2030.
The NFL draft has been held in different cities since 2015 when it ended New York’s long run as the host city. Last month’s 2025 draft took place at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, home of the Green Bay Packers. The 2026 draft will be held in Pittsburgh.
Trump made history earlier this year by becoming the first sitting U.S. president to attend a Super Bowl. At the game in New Orleans, the crowd reacted with both cheers and boos. Trump has a complicated relationship with the NFL, but this announcement marks a new chapter for the league in Washington, D.C.
