Where is the 2026 NFL Draft? A look at past and future host cities

The 2025 NFL Draft has come and gone.

After Detroit and Green Bay's record-setting attendance in 2024 and 2025, respectively, expectations for future hosts are elevated.

Each year, the NFL rotates the annual event to different cities across the country -- and the next two hosts have now been revealed after Donald Trump's announcement from the White House.

Here’s a look at the 2026 host, plus information about past and future sites:

Where will the 2026 NFL Draft take place?

The Steel City will stage the 2026 draft after last hosting way back in December 1947 for the 1948 NFL season.

What city hosts the 2027 NFL Draft?

President Trump, along with Roger Goodell and Commanders owner Josh Harris, announced on May 5 that the 2027 draft will be staged at the National Mall in the nation's capital.

It will mark the second time in history the nation's capital will play host to the NFL Draft. The last time was 1941.

How does the NFL decide where to hold the draft?

Just like any other major event, think the Olympics or World Cup, cities across the country bid to host the draft and the NFL votes on a winner. The vote comes down to the owners of the 32 NFL teams, and they are generally voted on two years in advance.

This process is relatively new to the NFL, as the draft was previously held annually in New York City. That all changed in 2015 when the draft moved to Chicago after 50 consecutive years in New York. Since 2016, the draft site has changed every year.

What city has hosted the most NFL drafts?

As you might’ve guessed, New York has hosted the most NFL drafts with 57 – including a 50-year stretch from 1965 to 2014. Philadelphia, which hosted the first NFL draft in 1936, has hosted the second-most with 12. Here’s the full list of cities that have hosted the event:

1. New York City, 57 (1937, 1939, 1945-47, 1952, 1955, 1965-2014)
2. Philadelphia, 12 (1936, 1949-50, 1953-54, 1956-61, 2017)
3. Chicago, 10 (1938, 1942-44, 1951, 1962-64, 2015-16)
4. Washington D.C., 2 (1941, 2027)
5. Pittsburgh, 2 (1948*, 2026)
6. Milwaukee, 1 (1940)
7. Los Angeles, 1 (1956, rounds 1-3 were in Philly before rounds 4-30 were in L.A.)
8. Dallas, 1 (2018)
9. Nashville, 1 (2019)
10. Virtual, 1 (2020 due to COVID-19)
11. Cleveland, 1 (2021)
12. Las Vegas, 1 (2022)
13. Kansas City, 1 (2023)
14. Detroit, 1 (2024)
15. Green Bay, 1 (2025)

What city hosted the most recent NFL Draft?

After a stop in Detroit in 2024, the draft stayed in the NFC North with Green Bay, Wisconsin, winning the the role of first-time host last month.

The Green Bay Packers are the NFL's third-oldest franchise, but they have never had the event in their city. The closest it came was in 1940, when the draft took place in nearby Milwaukee. Everything in 2025 took place at historic Lambeau Field, and more than 600,000 spectators were in attendance over the three days.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this article was first published in April 2023.