- Population: 2.2M
- Median age: 36.6
- Median net worth: $79,847
- Existing professional teams:
--- Columbus Crew (MLS)
--- Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL)

Though Columbus is the country's 14th-largest city, it's got big competition in building an NFL fan base. Ohio is home to two other pro football teams—the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns—and each city is about a two-hour drive from Columbus. However, the biggest rival is college football. D1.ticker reports that The Ohio State University Buckeyes averaged 104,216 spectators per game in 2024, whereas the largest NFL stadium has a maximum capacity of 82,500.

- Population: 1.8M
- Median age: 37.2
- Median net worth: $80,533
- No professional sports teams

The lack of a suitable stadium hampers Virginia Beach's chances of getting an NFL team—or any pro sports team, for that matter. A deal to move the NBA's Sacramento Kings to the region collapsed in 2013, partly because the area didn't have a big enough arena. Comparatively, the smallest NFL stadium, Soldier Field in Chicago, holds 61,500. NFL stadiums are also expensive, as the two newest cost an estimated $5.95 billion for SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and $2.31 billion for Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

- Population: 1.3M
- Median age: 33.7
- Median net worth: $95,045
- Existing professional teams:
--- Utah Jazz (NBA)
--- Real Salt Lake (MLS)
--- Utah Royals (NWSL)
--- Utah Hockey Club (NHL)

From 2008 to 2023, Utah was the fastest-growing state in the country, with an average annual growth of 1.7% per year, according to a Pew analysis. While an August 2023 poll conducted by Deseret News and the Hinckley Institute of Politics found that 33% of Utahns would prefer having an NFL team to one from any other sport, Salt Lake City has focused on the 2024 debut of its NHL franchise—for now named Utah Hockey Club.

- Population: 2.4M
- Median age: 38.3
- Median net worth: $93,986
- Existing professional teams:
--- Sacramento Kings (NBA)

The Raiders, a team that's called Oakland, Los Angeles, and—since 2020—Las Vegas home, almost became the Sacramento Raiders in the 1990s. Team owner Al Davis wanted to move the squad out of LA, and Sacramento was on board, but they couldn't make a deal work. Instead, the city has had teams in the United Football League, Arena Football League, Canadian Football League, and more. A planned Major League Football team has not played a game.

- Population: 1.4M
- Median age: 37.5
- Median net worth: $96,066
- Existing professional teams:
--- North Carolina Courage (NWSL)
--- Carolina Hurricanes (NHL)

Raleigh-Durham once flirted with the NFL, putting in a bid for an expansion franchise in 1991. Today, city business leaders seem more intent on bringing in an MLB franchise, as it's the one pro sport that's not in North Carolina. MLB Raleigh started in 2019 and got more serious in late 2023 when Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon joined the charge to bring baseball to the Triangle.

- Population: 3.3M
- Median age: 37.1
- Median net worth: $102,285
- Existing professional teams:
--- San Diego FC (MLS)
--- San Diego Wave FC (NWSL)
--- San Diego Padres (MLB)

Unlike other cities on this list, San Diegoans don't have to prove they're football lovers. The city was home to the popular Chargers franchise for 56 years—until owner Dean Spanos moved it to Los Angeles because citizens voted down paying for a new stadium. San Diego is a good candidate for teams that want to relocate, but the eighth-largest city in the country may have to wait for the NFL to announce an expansion to get another football team.

- Population: 2.5M
- Median age: 39.1
- Median net worth: $94,573
- Existing professional teams:
--- Portland Trail Blazers (NBA)
--- Portland Timbers (MLS)
--- Portland Thorns (NWSL)

Health care, tech, and athletic companies enrich Portland's economy—the area's median income is about 13% higher than the national median. The size of the city may work against it—it's just the 25th-largest metro area in the country. That said, Portland has had pro football before, with a World Football League team in the 1970s and a United States Football League team in the 1980s.

- Population: 2.7M
- Median age: 38.3
- Median net worth: $75,611
- Existing professional teams:
--- Orlando Magic (NBA)
--- Orlando City SC (MLS)
--- Orlando Pride (NWSL)

Florida is already home to three NFL teams, but Orlando believes the league can put one more in the state—and it already has a relationship with the NFL. Since 2017, Camping World Stadium (home to college football's annual Citrus Bowl) has played host to the NFL Pro Bowl six times. In November, Orange County officials approved $400 million in renovations to make the stadium an attractive candidate for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who will have to relocate temporarily while their stadium is upgraded.

- Population: 4.6M
- Median age: 35.6
- Median net worth: $86,031
- No professional sports teams

On paper, Riverside looks like it could support an NFL franchise. For starters, it's the largest metro area without its own NFL franchise. However, it's also part of the Los Angeles television market, which already supports two teams. A third team could dilute broadcast rights and the money that comes with them.

- Population: 2.4M
- Median age: 35.9
- Median net worth: $97,638
- Existing professional teams:
--- Austin FC (MLS)

Austin's population has boomed over the last decade on the strength of its tech sector, but the capital has big competition to land an NFL franchise with San Antonio just 80 miles down the road. The Alamo City has campaigned for a team since the 1990s, even building the Alamodome to attract one—a dream that has yet to come to fruition.

Story editing by Mike Taylor. Additional editing by Elisa Huang and Kristen Wegrzyn. Copy editing by Robert Wickwire. Photo selection by Clarese Moller.