How does the NFL determine the home team in the Super Bowl?

When it comes to the Super Bowl, colors have always been a big deal: the silver glimmer of the Lombardi Trophy, the neon splash of a victorious Gatorade bath, the glory of franchise-colored confetti. Superstitions, conspiracy theories and history all come into focus as teams determine which jerseys they’ll don for the big game.

Throughout the season, the NFL requires teams to wear opposing jersey shades to ensure contrast during games. Teams use their primary team colors for home jerseys and white jerseys for away games. 

But if the game is played at neither team's home stadium, how are the home and away teams determined in the Super Bowl?

How is the home team determined for the Super Bowl?

Although the Super Bowl is played on a neutral site, the two conference representatives are still designated as home and away teams. The home team for the Super Bowl alternates between the two conferences each year. The NFC representative is the home team in even-numbered seasons, and the AFC representative is the home team in odd-numbered seasons.

Last year, the Kansas City Chiefs were the designated home team for Super Bowl LVIII. The Philadelphia Eagles, who won the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, will be the designated home team in Super Bowl LIX.

While the designated away team gets to call the opening coin toss, the home team gets to decide which color jerseys they want to wear for the game. The designated home team usually elects to wear their home jerseys in the Super Bowl, but that's not always the case. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers elected to wear their white road jerseys in Super Bowl LV, despite being the first team in NFL history to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium. The decision paid off: the Buccaneers trounced the Chiefs, 31-9.

Home-field advantage can significantly benefit teams during the season, but those advantages have not translated to the Super Bowl. Designated home teams have not fared well on the neutral field, especially when wearing their primary home jerseys.

In Super Bowl history, the designated home team has won 24 times (.406). Three of those Super Bowl champions opted to wear their white away jerseys, so teams wearing their home jerseys have only won 21 times (.362). Recent history has favored road teams in the Super Bowl even more. In the past 20 Super Bowls, the designated home team won just seven times (.350). Only four of those seven teams wore their home jerseys.

Teams in white away jerseys have won 37 times (.637) in Super Bowl history, and they have a 16-4 record (.800) since 2004.

Nearly every story about the players, teams and colors will be dissected over the next two weeks, but all of those narratives will dissipate after the opening kickoff. Ultimately, the game will be determined by the players on the field, regardless of their jersey colors.

Super Bowl LIX will kick off on Feb. 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.