Indianapolis tourism officials announced an agreement with the NFL to host the league’s flagship pre-draft event through 2026, replacing a previous agreement that ended with the 2025 combine.
The combine has been held in Indianapolis since 1987. Since those early days, when the combine was held with little fanfare, it has become a major event on the NFL calendar. The team now has hours of live television coverage and, in recent years, fans have been allowed to attend to watch on-field drills at Lucas Oil Stadium.
More than 27,000 fans attended the 2024 combine, according to Visit Indy, which helped negotiate the deal.
More than 300 NFL prospects come to the city annually along with large delegations from all NFL teams and thousands of media members. Team officials, in particular, have been vocal about keeping the combine in Indianapolis given the proximity of the medical facilities for prospect testing and the stadium to key downtown hotels.
“Indianapolis is uniquely designed and built to host an event as complex as the NFL Combine,” Pete Ward, chief operating officer of the Indianapolis Colts, said in a statement. “Indy is seamlessly transporting prospects, team owners, coaching staff, medical staff and national media, and the Colts are proud to be part of the team that keeps the event in our city.”