The first Super Bowl took place in 1967, although it was originally called the AFL-NFL World Championship. The Packers crushed the Chiefs 35-10 and tickets cost $12 — about $90 today.
Around 24 million people watched the first Super Bowl on TV. That’s a lot, but it’s nothing compared to today. In recent years, it’s been common for more than 100 million viewers to gather in living rooms across America and watch the show.
As the Super Bowl gets more popular, tickets get more expensive. Tickets to the second Super Bowl cost about $87 in today’s money. By the early 2000s, that price jumped to more than $800. At the same time, in-person viewers have significantly increased.
Pictures of the first Super Bowl show a largely empty stadium — compare that to Super Bowl 50 when more than 70,000 fans packed into Levi’s Stadium in California.
Today, Super Bowl tickets easily sell for thousands of dollars. The average price in 2018 was $2,500, but that’s still cheap compared to the most expensive tickets on record. Believe it or not, some people spend more than 10 grand to get a seat.
Keep reading to learn more about the most expensive Super Bowl tickets in history!
8. Super Bowl XLV (2011)
Host Stadium: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX
Halftime Performer: The Black Eyed Peas
Interesting Fact: The Packers beat the Steelers 31-25
photo source: packers.com
Would you pay three grand to get a seat at the Super Bowl? Packers and Steelers fans would. The 2011 Super Bowl had an average ticket price of about $3,600 while the highest prices that year reached nearly $5,000. The event was held at AT&T Stadium in Texas (formerly Cowboys Stadium). The Packers ended up grabbing a solid victory with a final score of 31-25.
Beyond the game, Super Bowl XLV’s halftime show was pretty interesting. After ziplining onto stage, the Black Eyed Peas performed their hit “I Gotta Feeling” before transitioning to a combination of “Boom Boom Pow” and Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine.”
Did you know?
Before the game, Christina Aguilera performed the American national anthem.
7. Super Bowl XLIX (2015)
Host Stadium: University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ
Halftime Performer: Katy Perry plus special guests
Interesting Fact: 2015’s Super Stadium held more than 63,000 people
photo source: wbur.org
Tom Brady is kind of a hallmark of the Super Bowl. The star quarterback has won a whopping seven games as of 2022 — but that number could grow since he un-retired in March of the same year.
For Brady, Super Bowl XLIX was yet another win in his collection. The Seahawks held a 10-point lead in the third quarter, but the Patriots stepped it up and won 28-24. That was good news for Patriots fans in the stadium. One estimate says the average seat cost more than $10,000 — imagine paying that much to see your team lose.
Did you know?
Katy Perry headlined the 2015 Super Bowl halftime show with special guests including Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliot. The show started with Perry on a massive lion prop as she performed “Roar” before closing out with “Firework” as she was hoisted above the stage and fireworks were set off.
6. Super Bowl LIII (2019)
Host Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA
Halftime Performer: Maroon 5
Interesting Fact: Bernice King performed the coin toss for Super Bowl 53
photo source: musketfire.com
Super Bowl LIII was held in Atlanta in 2019. The game was between the Patriots and the Rams, with the Patriots demanding victory 13-3.
Bernice King, the daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., performed the coin toss alongside Andrew Young and John Lewis.
Tickets to Super Bowl 53 were crazy expensive. The event’s cheapest seats cost about $2,500 while the highest prices reached a steep 23 grand. Costly tickets didn’t stop fans though, the stadium was packed with more than 70,000 attendees while about 98 million people watched from home.
Did you know?
As of 2022, Super Bowl LIII is the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in history.
5. Super Bowl XLVIII (2014)
Host Stadium: MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ
Halftime Performer: Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Interesting Fact: This was the Seahawks’ first Super Bowl victory
photo source: npr.org
Super Bowl XLVIII was special for a couple of reasons. The game was the Seahawks’ first Super Bowl victory, but it was also the first time a winning team surpassed 40 points while the losing team stayed under 10. The historic game also marked the Broncos’ fifth Super Bowl loss.
As of 2022, the Broncos have lost five Super Bowls, tying them with the Patriots for the most losses in history. Interestingly, the Patriots also tie with the Steelers for the most Super Bowl wins in history.
Super Bowl XLVIII was historic for another reason: ticket prices. The game’s most expensive tickets sold for a whopping $25,500, making it the fifth-most expensive Super Bowl in history.
Did you know?
More than 82,000 people attended Super Bowl XLVIII.
4. Super Bowl 50 (2016)
Host Stadium: Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA
Halftime Performer: Coldplay, Beyoncé, and Bruno Mars
Interesting Fact: More than 111 million people watched Super Bowl 50
photo source: cnn.com
Super Bowl 50 was held in 2016 at Levi’s Stadium in California. The historic match between the Panthers and the Broncos attracted more than 71,000 attendees and upwards of 111 million TV viewers.
Coldplay, Beyoncé, and Bruno Mars performed the halftime show before the game resumed and the Broncos beat the Panthers. The win was Peyton Manning’s second Super Bowl victory. Manning retired shortly after the match and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame a few years later.
When it came to ticket prices, Super Bowl 50 was predictably expensive. The game’s cheapest seats surpassed five grand, about a thousand dollars higher than the previous year, while the highest prices on record neared $30,000.
Did you know?
A 30-second Super Bowl 50 ad cost about $5 million.
3. Super Bowl LIV (2020)
Host Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL
Halftime Performer: Jennifer Lopez and Shakira plus special guests
Interesting Fact: The cheapest seats at Super Bowl LIV were at least $4,000
photo source: eonline.com
Heading into the top three we’ve got Super Bowl LIV. The match between the 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs was held at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens where more than 60,000 fans paid thousands to get a seat. The event’s cheapest seats sold for at least $4,000 while the most expensive tickets went for $29,000.
Super Bowl LIV ended with a Chiefs victory — 31-20. The game’s first two quarters were pretty tight, tying at 10 when halftime rolled around. After halftime, it looked like the 49ers might come out on top, but the Chiefs pulled ahead and won.
Did you know?
A 30-second ad during Super Bowl LIV cost $5.6 million. Companies are willing to pay crazy amounts for ad placement during the Super Bowl because so many people watch the event. Experts say Apple started the trend of high-budget and unique Super Bowl ads with its 1984 commercial for the original Macintosh personal computer.
2. Super Bowl LVI (2022)
Host Stadium: SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA
Halftime Performer: Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, and more
Interesting Fact: Super Bowl 2022 ads cost up to $7 million
photo source: sportingnews.com
In 2022, Super Bowl LVI became one of the first major sporting events to be held after some pandemic rules were lifted. That meant SoFi Stadium in California had no COVID-19 capacity restrictions, and as you can imagine, people were excited. More than 70,000 fans piled into SoFi Stadium in California while a record 208 million fans watched the game on TV.
With such excitement for the game, Super Bowl LVI ticket prices were sky-high. The most expensive seats on record went for more than $70,000 while the cheapest cost at least four grand.
Did you know?
The average Super Bowl LVI ticket price was $9,648.
1. Super Bowl LV (2021)
Host Stadium: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida
Halftime Performer: The Weeknd
Interesting Fact: Super Bowl LV’s live audience was limited due to COVID-19
photo source: abcnews.go.com
As of 2022, Super Bowl LV had the most expensive Super Bowl tickets ever sold.
Like a lot of things, Super Bowl LV was thrown off by the COVID-19 pandemic. The game was the first Super Bowl to take place after the official start of the pandemic, so the event looked pretty different than previous years. Only about 24,000 fans were allowed in the stadium — a huge drop compared to the typical 60 to 70 thousand.
Many of these fans were healthcare workers who received free seats from the NFL. Other attendees were fans who paid a lot of money for their spots.
The most expensive ticket on record cost a whopping $73,839 while the average price stood at more than 11 grand.
Did you know?
During Super Bowl LV, the NFL decided to fill empty seats with cardboard cutouts of fans. Some TV viewers were confused and thought the stadium was full until an NFL spokesperson clarified that the “attendees” were really just cardboard.
