In the United States, the Super Bowl is arguably the most significant sporting event and the most-watched television event every year. While baseball might be America’s pastime, it’s the Super Bowl that gets sports fans the most excited.
Due to the Super Bowl’s popularity, there’s always hope that people can attend every year, but unfortunately, it has become increasingly expensive to do so. Today, it’s not uncommon to spend thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars, to attend “the big game.”
15. Super Bowl I
The first “Super Bowl” was played at the LA Memorial Coliseum.
The first-ever Super Bowl, then known as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game, in 1967, didn’t even sell out. Only 61,946 people attended the game in a stadium that could hold 100,000 plus people. However, if you did attend the game, the face value for tickets was just $12.
14. Super Bowl III
Super Bowl III was the first game to actually use the “Super Bowl” moniker.
Played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Super Bowl III was the first game to truly be known as the “Super Bowl.” However, ticket prices between Super Bowl I and Super Bowl III remained consistent at $12, which kept the event affordable for the in-person audience.
13. Super Bowl V
Super Bowl V is best known as the “blunder bowl.”
Better known as the “Blunder Bowl” for 11 turnovers, tickets for Super Bowl V increased for the first time to $15 per ticket. At this point, the Super Bowl was popular, but it didn’t yet achieve the iconic status in sports it has today.
12. Super Bowl IX
Tickets for Super Bowl IX at Tulane Stadium were still relatively inexpensive.
In 1975, attending Super Bowl IX with the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Minnesota Vikings would have cost you around $20 per ticket. The game was played in cold and wet conditions in New Orleans, which helped keep ticket prices low, allowing organizers to fill the stands.
11. Super Bowl XVII
In 1983, Super Bowl prices remained pretty affordable.
When the Washington Redskins played the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII at the Rose Bowl Stadium, ticket prices were around $40. This is approximately $120 in 2025 dollars, which serves as a reminder that this was still 1983, and the Super Bowl had not yet reached astronomical pricing levels.
10. Super Bowl XX
Watching Mike Ditka and the Bears win the Super Bowl is worth any price.
When the Chicago Bears crushed the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX, seeing the Bears’ legendary defense in 1986 was well worth the $75 ticket price. This ticket price would have been worth every penny to see the team that filmed the iconic “Super Bowl Shuffle” song.
9. Super Bowl XXIV
The 1990 Super Bowl was relatively affordable by today’s standards.
In 1990, when the San Francisco 49ers faced off against the Denver Broncos at the Louisiana Superdome, ticket prices were approximately $125. This is approximately $280 in 2025 dollars, which was a great price to see the 49ers crush the Broncos in the biggest blowout in Super Bowl history, thanks to Joe Montana.
8. Super Bowl XXVII
Watching the Cowboys and Bills play was well worth any price.
For approximately $175 per ticket, you could watch the Dallas Cowboys versus the Buffalo Bills in 1993. This was the Bills’ third straight Super Bowl loss, and at the time, the Cowboys were becoming “America’s Team,” which helped drive ticket pricing close to $350 in today’s dollars.
7. Super Bowl XXXI
This game saw the Packers win their first title in almost three decades.
The 1997 Green Bay Packers versus New England Patriots game was especially notable for being the Packers’ first Super Bowl title in 29 years. At this point in history, the Super Bowl had become America’s main sporting event, driving ticket prices up to $275 and above.
6. Super Bowl XXXIV
The Tennessee Titans lost a heartbreaking Super Bowl game.
Attending Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000, you would have paid approximately $325 per ticket. The St. Louis Rams, before their move to Los Angeles, played the Tennessee Titans in the Georgia Dome. The game ended with the Titans stopping one yard short of the zone, an iconic finish for an iconic game.
5. Super Bowl XXXIX
In 2005, Tom Brady was beginning his Super Bowl legacy.
In 2005, when the New England Patriots played the Philadelphia Eagles, Tom Brady was starting to cement the Patriots’ early legacy. Ticket prices were now around $600 per game for the cheap seats, which began to show the NFL’s global appeal and the game as a must-attend event.
4. Super Bowl XLIV
Tickets for Super Bowl XLIV started to cross the $1,000 mark.
By the time Super Bowl XLIV arrived, tickets were priced at around $900 to $1,000 to watch the New Orleans Saints take on the Indianapolis Colts. The Saints’ upset of Peyton Manning and the Colts, which occurred in 2010, was a significant moment for the New Orleans team, still recovering from Hurricane Katrina years later.
3. Super Bowl LI
Super Bowl LI saw the biggest comeback in title game history.
In 2017, the New England Patriots came back from a 28-3 halftime deficit against the Atlanta Falcons. This is an iconic game in Tom Brady’s career and cemented him as the best quarterback the game has ever known. Ticket prices were right around $2,500 just to get into the game in the top-row seats.
2. Super Bowl LVIII
Fans played a fortune to watch the Chiefs play the 49ers.
Considered the most expensive Super Bowl game of all time, Super Bowl LVIII ticket prices were arguably at their highest point in history. The Kansas City Chiefs played against the San Francisco 49ers in a game widely remembered as a football game that Taylor Swift also attended. Ticket prices started anywhere between $9,000 and $12,000 per seat just to get into the gate for the game.
1. Super Bowl LIX (2025)
Super Bowl LIX was one of the most costly events.
Tickets for Super Bowl LIX in 2025, where the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, cost a minimum of $3,000 per seat to attend. However, the average price of a ticket leading up to the day of the game was around $8,000, while the most expensive non-suite tickets were just above $20,000.
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