May 5 (UPI) -- Washington, will host the 2027 NFL Draft on the National Mall, President Donald Trump announced Monday inside the Oval Office.
"There is no scene like it, no site like it," Trump told reporters.
Trump made the announcement alongside NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
"The NFL bringing this event to the nation's capital will help us fill hotel rooms, our restaurants, and Americans from all 50 states will come to their nation's capital and enjoy our beautiful city and museums," Bowser said.
The three-day 2025 NFL Draft drew more than 600,000 fans last month when it was held on the Lambeau Field campus in Green Bay, Wis. The 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit drew a record crowd of 750,000.
"We believe there will be well over a million when we come here to D.C. in 2027," Goodell said.
The news of Washington hosting the event came a week after the city and Washington Commanders agreed to a deal to construct a new football stadium at the site of RFK Stadium. The franchise called that home from 1961 to 1996, and has since played games in Landover, Md.
The D.C. Council must approve the use of taxpayer money for that project. The Commanders are under contract to play at Northwest Stadium until 2027, but can renew that deal. They expect to open their Washington-based facility in 2030.
The 2026 NFL Draft will be held in Pittsburgh.
