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Philadelphia will reportedly bid to host more WrestleMania events in the future

The two-night WWE event drew over 145,000 fans to Lincoln Financial Field. The city wants them to come back.

Some of the over 70,000 attendees record the final match during WrestleMania 40 at Lincoln Financial Field.
Some of the over 70,000 attendees record the final match during WrestleMania 40 at Lincoln Financial Field.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer

WrestleMania 40 at Lincoln Financial Field was “by any metric, the biggest WrestleMania of all time,” according to Triple H, WWE’s chief content officer.

In total, 145,298 fans attended the two-night event at Lincoln Financial Field and broke the previous gate record, set by WrestleMania 39, a 78 percent uptick. The event also set records for TV viewership, social media views, and merchandise sales, as well as gate records for Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown.

After the event’s success, it’s no surprise that Philadelphia is interested in hosting another WrestleMania in the future.

» READ MORE: After two nights in Philadelphia, where and when will WrestleMania 41 take place?

“This is such a highly-coveted event that we know there’s a long line of cities clamoring to host, and that’s just the reality of an event of this magnitude. But needless to say, we would be thrilled to have WrestleMania back, and at the right time we will engage in those conversations with the WWE,” Larry Needle, executive director of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau’s PHL Sports division told Philadelphia Business Journal.

Fans came to WrestleMania from all 50 states and 64 countries, according to the WWE, patronizing local Philadelphia business and packing area hotels. Needle told the Journal that he surmised about 85% of attendees were from outside the Philadelphia area. The event in some ways was a trial run for 2026, when Philadelphia will host six World Cup matches in addition to the MLB All-Star Game.

The host city of WrestleMania 41 hasn’t been announced yet. Las Vegas and Minneapolis are expected to be top contenders. The announcement of WrestleMania XL in Philadelphia came well over a year before the event, in July 2022.

» READ MORE: All the Philly references from both nights of WrestleMania, from Jason Kelce to the Mummers

Prior to WrestleMania 40, the last WrestleMania event in Philadelphia came in 1999 with WrestleMania XV. The shortest gaps for repeat host sites in recent years came at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which hosted in 2013 and 2019, and at AT&T Stadium in Texas, which hosted in 2016 and 2022.