It's as if the Caesars Superdome were built for the Super Bowl. This Sunday, the NFL's premier event returns to the iconic home of the New Orleans Saints for a record eighth time.

The Superdome's central location in the city and the organizers' experience in hosting massive events makes it easy for the city to draw the league to New Orleans. It's had multiple renovations in its 50-year history, most notably after the wide-scale devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

More recently, the stadium underwent extensive upgrades to its wireless and cellular capabilities, fan amenities and elevators.

Where is the 2025 Super Bowl being played?

The stadium opened in 1975 as the Louisiana Superdome at a cost of $134 million ($786 million in today's dollars) and is now the fifth-oldest stadium in the NFL. With the 2026 opening of a new $2.1 billion stadium for the Buffalo Bills to replace its existing Highmark Stadium, the Caesars Superdome will move into fourth on the list of oldest stadiums.

The Superdome's multiple renovations have led the seating capacity to be somewhat fluid, but it's generally about 75,000 for football games and can go even higher for concerts.

In 2021, the 10-year agreement with Mercedes-Benz for corporate naming rights came to an end, and Caesars Entertainment signed an exclusive new 20-year agreement to include its name on the stadium. The company operates Caesars New Orleans Hotel & Casino less than a mile east of the stadium.

Host cities: Complete list of Super Bowl locations and winning teams leading up to Super Bowl 59

How many times has the Superdome hosted a Super Bowl?

Super Bowl 59 will mark the eighth time the Superdome has hosted NFL's crowning event, the most of any stadium in the history of the game. It's also the 11th time the city has hosted the Super Bowl. The first three Super Bowls were played at Tulane Stadium, which ties New Orleans with Miami for the most of any city.

Nineteen cities have hosted a Super Bowl. Here's how New Orleans stacks up among cities that have hosted at least two Super Bowl games:

Miami's Super Bowls have been split between the Orange Bowl and Hard Rock Stadium, which has hosted six games.

In addition to the eight Super Bowl games, Caesars Superdome has played host to five NCAA championships in men's basketball and has hosted college football's Sugar Bowl every year since its opening.

What happened in the Superdome during Katrina?

In 2005, the arena become a symbol for the plight of tens of thousands of New Orleans flood refugees displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The stadium itself sustained heavy flooding and extensive damage to its domed roof.

The stadium housed an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 people during the storm and underwent a multi-phase renovation after the storm that cost $250 million, drawing money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the state of Louisiana and the NFL.

The stadium reopened the following season for the New Orleans Saints' first home game, a 23-3 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

The Superdome has hosted only one Super Bowl since Katrina: Super Bowl 47 in 2013. The game − a 34-31 Ravens win over the 49ers − was mostly notable both for a partial power failure that stopped the game for 33 minutes in the third quarter and the first Super Bowl matchup between sibling head coaches, the Ravens' John Harbaugh and the 49ers' Jim Harbaugh.

Before the 2024 season, a $560 million renovation modernized the facility in preparation for Super Bowl 59. The work included upgrades to the wireless and cellular connectivity, improved food and beverage areas and updated elevators.

Security in wake of New Year's Day attack in New Orleans

After the deadly New Year's Day truck attack in the city's iconic Bourbon Street, the NFL has adjusted its security plans surrounding Super Bowl 59.

Cathy Lanier, the NFL's chief security officer, said in a news conference last week that the league had requested and received additional law enforcement support after the ramming attack.

"It's natural to ask if we've changed things since the attack on Jan. 1, and of course the short answer is yes," Lanier told reporters on a conference call. "But I want to remind people, to be clear, that our planning and security is continually reviewed. We review, enhance and modify our security plans based on the latest information that we have. We're constantly monitoring what's going on in the environment and the security world to make those adjustments."

On Tuesday, multiple reports indicated President Donald Trump will attend Sunday's game, likely adding a new layer of complexity to the security plan.

Contributing: Nick Brinkerhoff and Tom Schad

SOURCES: NFL, USA TODAY reporting

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2025 Super Bowl: The history of Caesars Superdome