PHILADELPHIA, May 20 (UPI) -- NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue announced Tuesday that Miami and Tampa are the finalists to host the Super Bowl in 2007.
Only New Orleans has hosted more Super Bowls than Miami, which has been home to the football spectacle eight times. If the game returns to South Florida, it would be held at Pro Player Stadium, the home of the Miami Dolphins.
Tampa is vying for its fourth Super Bowl and first since 2001. The game would be played at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Buccaneers.
Final approval is expected when the owners meet Sept. 17.
If Tampa fails to win approval for the 2007 game, it has a chance to host the title contest the following year. Tampa also is a finalist for the 2008 game along with Washington, D.C., New York and Arizona.
Tagliabue's comments came at the league's spring meetings. The commissioner has made it known that he eventually would like to see the Super Bowl played in a cold-weather city like Washington or New York.
The Redskins have a state-of-the-art facility in Landover, Md. The New York game would be played at Giants Stadium, across the Hudson River in East Rutherford, N.J.
Tagliabue has indicated previously that Giants Stadium would need renovations before it could host a Super Bowl.
If Arizona gets the game, it would be played at the Cardinals' new stadium in Glendale, which is scheduled to open in 2006.
The 2008 site is expected to be announced in October. Houston, Jacksonville and Detroit are the sites of the next three Super Bowls.
Playoff expansion also could be discussed at the meetings, which conclude Wednesday.
Earlier this year, the competition committee voted 8-0 against a plan to expand the playoffs from 12 to 14 teams. Several owners reportedly consider the topic a dead issue, but it still could come up for a vote.
If the postseason is expanded, only the AFC and NFC teams with the best record would receive a first-round bye and there would be six games on the first playoff weekend.
Tagliabue reportedly does not favor postseason expansion. Several league officials also fear one bye would cause too much of an competitive disadvantage, one reason the decision did not come in March at the winter meetings.
But the issue was tabled for further study. The Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots made the proposal to increase the number of playoff participants.
Other topics on the agenda this week are the status of the NFL network, NFL Europe, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2003, the league's workplace diversity initiatives and its stadium financing program.
