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NFL to play 2021 Super Bowl in new Los Angeles stadium

(Reuters) - The NFL will stage the 2021 Super Bowl in Los Angeles, raising its profile in the country's second-largest media market after making a celebrated return to the city with the relocation of the Rams franchise to the West Coast starting next season. The National Football League also announced the 2019 and 2020 Super Bowls would be played in Atlanta and South Florida, respectively, returning to those areas for its championship game, one of the most-watched television events of the year. Atlanta hosted the game in 1994 and 2000, while Miami has had it 10 times. The Super Bowl's move back to Los Angeles will also give the 'City of Angels' a welcome boost as it bids to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. "We are honored that the NFL is bringing the Super Bowl to Los Angeles in 2021," Casey Wasserman, who is chair of both the Los Angeles Super Bowl bid and LA24, said in a statement. "The league's selection of Los Angeles is a testament to its commitment to innovation and diversity, and I couldn't be prouder of our winning bid. "Stan Kroenke's vision for the Rams stadium and the surrounding campus makes Inglewood an ideal venue for staging the Super Bowl of the future and we look forward to inviting the nation and the world to L.A. for an historic fan experience." The Los Angeles area has hosted the Super Bowl seven times, including the first game at the Memorial Coliseum in 1967. The 2021 edition, which will be the 55th Super Bowl, will be held in the $2.6 billion stadium being built by Rams owner Kroenke. LA RETURN Kroenke is moving the team back to Los Angeles after two decades in St. Louis. The Rams previously played in L.A. from 1946 to 1994. Their new 80,000-seat, glass-roofed stadium, to be built in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood on the site previously occupied by Hollywood Park race track, is expected to open in time for the 2019 season. "The Rams are proud to be part of such a significant regional effort of teamwork, leadership and vision to bring the Super Bowl back to Southern California," Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff said in a statement. "We would like to thank the NFL owners for giving us this opportunity to host the nation's biggest event in sports and entertainment at our world-class stadium." The last time the Super Bowl was played in the L.A. area was 1993, when the Dallas Cowboys beat the Buffalo Bills at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. "Los Angeles is built to host the Super Bowl," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement. "We helped forge this great American tradition as its very first host in 1967; and now, at long last, we're bringing it back where it belongs. "L.A. is already welcoming a record number of visitors from around the world, and Super Bowl LV will bring even more economic prosperity to our region." The league previously picked Houston to host the Super Bowl in 2017 and Minnesota is set to host in 2018. (Reporting by Letitia Stein; Additional reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes; Editing by Jonathan Oatis/Alan Crosby/Frank Pingue)