With 14 professional sports venues within an hour’s drive — a higher concentration than any city in the world — multiple new or renovated college facilities, one of the world’s largest amateur sports complexes and enviable weather, Phoenix has amassed a diverse hosting résumé. It includes: multiple Super Bowls and NCAA Division I Men’s Final Fours; a CFP National Championship; the 2024 NCAA Convention; the 2025 SheBelieves Cup, presented by Visa, featuring the U.S. women’s national team; the NFL annual league meeting and WWE Smackdown in March; and the NCAA Division I Women’s Final Four in April.
Coming Soon: The Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships will be at the Mortgage Matchup Center in August; the NBA All-Star Game Weekend will return (for the fourth time) next year; and the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex will host the 2027 NCAA Division II tennis finals.
After years of being in the regular rotations, it will be at least 2031 before the CFP championship game returns to town, and at least 2030 for the Super Bowl. Additionally, NASCAR’s Championship Weekend, which was in town from 2020 through 2025, was moved to Miami, and the Arizona Coyotes relocated to Utah.
Home Base: USA Pickleball; Circle K (a Minor League Baseball sponsor); sports tourism consultant Huddle Up Group; tennis equipment manufacturer Head; and golf company Ping. MSG Entertainment Holdings recently changed its state of incorporation from Delaware to Arizona because of the lower cost of doing business. Phoenix-area companies, including Mortgage Matchup and Desert Financial Credit Union, combine for 21 local venue naming rights, player uniform and on-field logo deals, one of the highest rates in our study.
The area’s teams and major events generated 35.5 million in attendance over the past eight years, trailing only New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago.
Working on attracting events to the region are the Arizona Sports & Entertainment Commission, one of the country’s oldest such organizations (founded in 1988), and the Arizona Sports & Events Alliance.
Key Numbers: There are 123 active hotel construction projects (which will add 16,100 rooms) underway in the market, trailing only Dallas and Atlanta among U.S. markets. Hotels in Phoenix charge 12.57% in lodging taxes. Only four cities in our ranking charge less. Nearby Glendale, home to State Farm Stadium, tacks on 15.57%.
Previous Rankings
2023: #10
2024 Event Hosting: #9
2025 Soccer: Not ranked
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