The biggest sporting event in the U.S. each year begins with a simple question: heads or tails?
The coin toss is a Super Bowl staple. The small ritual has major impacts, though – both on the field and in sportsbooks.
Watch NBC6 free wherever you are
>
WATCH HEREDoes tails ever fail in the Super Bowl? And is it actually better to lose the Super Bowl coin toss?
Let’s check out some coin toss history before Super Bowl LVIII kicks off in Las Vegas:
Get local news you need to know to start your day with NBC 6's News Headlines newsletter.
>
SIGN UP
Super Bowl coin toss outcomes
Across the first 57 Super Bowls, the coin toss landed tails 30 times and heads 27 times.
The longest ever streak for one result went from Super Bowl XLIII to Super Bowl XLVII, when it landed heads five straight times. There have been three stretches in which the Super Bowl coin toss landed tails four straight times.
Prior to Super Bowl LVII, the winner of the coin toss went on to lose the game in eight straight Super Bowls. The Kansas City Chiefs bucked that trend last season, successfully calling tails, deferring to the second half and beating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35.
Here is a look at the coin toss result, coin toss winner and game winner from the first 57 Super Bowls:
| Super Bowl | Teams | Heads or tails | Toss winner | Game winner |
| I | Chiefs vs. Packers | Heads | Packers | Packers |
| II | Packers vs. Raiders | Tails | Raiders | Packers |
| III | Jets vs. Colts | Heads | Jets | Jets |
| IV | Vikings vs. Chiefs | Tails | Vikings | Chiefs |
| V | Colts vs. Cowboys | Tails | Cowboys | Colts |
| VI | Cowboys vs. Dolphins | Heads | Dolphins | Cowboys |
| VII | Dolphins vs. Washington | Heads | Dolphins | Dolphins |
| VIII | Vikings vs. Dolphins | Heads | Dolphins | Dolphins |
| IX | Steelers vs. Vikings | Tails | Steelers | Steelers |
| X | Cowboys vs. Steelers | Heads | Cowboys | Steelers |
| XI | Raiders vs. Vikings | Tails | Raiders | Raiders |
| XII | Cowboys vs. Broncos | Heads | Cowboys | Cowboys |
| XIII | Steelers vs. Cowboys | Heads | Cowboys | Steelers |
| XIV | Rams vs. Steelers | Heads | Rams | Steelers |
| XV | Raiders vs. Eagles | Tails | Eagles | Raiders |
| XVI | 49ers vs. Bengals | Tails | 49ers | 49ers |
| XVII | Dolphins vs. Washington | Tails | Dolphins | Washington |
| XVIII | Washington vs. Raiders | Heads | Raiders | Raiders |
| XIX | Dolphins vs. 49ers | Tails | 49ers | 49ers |
| XX | Bears vs. Patriots | Tails | Bears | Bears |
| XXI | Broncos vs. Giants | Tails | Broncos | Giants |
| XXII | Washington vs. Broncos | Heads | Washington | Washington |
| XXIII | Bengals vs. 49ers | Tails | 49ers | 49ers |
| XXIV | 49ers vs. Broncos | Heads | Broncos | 49ers |
| XXV | Bills vs. Giants | Heads | Bills | Giants |
| XXVI | Washington vs. Bills | Heads | Washington | Washington |
| XXVII | Bills vs. Cowboys | Heads | Bills | Cowboys |
| XXVIII | Cowboys vs. Bills | Tails | Cowboys | Cowboys |
| XXIX | Chargers vs. 49ers | Heads | 49ers | 49ers |
| XXX | Cowboys vs. Steelers | Tails | Cowboys | Cowboys |
| XXXI | Patriots vs. Packers | Heads | Patriots | Packers |
| XXXII | Packers vs. Broncos | Tails | Packers | Broncos |
| XXXIII | Broncos vs. Falcons | Tails | Falcons | Broncos |
| XXXIV | Rams vs. Titans | Tails | Rams | Rams |
| XXXV | Ravens vs. Giants | Tails | Giants | Ravens |
| XXXVI | Rams vs. Patriots | Heads | Rams | Patriots |
| XXXVII | Raiders vs. Buccaneers | Tails | Buccaneers | Buccaneers |
| XXXVIII | Panthers vs. Patriots | Tails | Panthers | Patriots |
| XXXIX | Patriots vs. Eagles | Tails | Eagles | Patriots |
| XL | Seahawks vs. Steelers | Tails | Seahawks | Steelers |
| XLI | Colts vs. Bears | Heads | Bears | Colts |
| XLII | Giants vs. Patriots | Tails | Giants | Giants |
| XLIII | Steelers vs. Cardinals | Heads | Cardinals | Steelers |
| XLIV | Saints vs. Colts | Heads | Saints | Saints |
| XLV | Steelers vs. Packers | Heads | Packers | Packers |
| XLVI | Giants vs. Patriots | Heads | Patriots | Giants |
| XLVII | Ravens vs. 49ers | Heads | Ravens | Ravens |
| XLVIII | Seahawks vs. Broncos | Tails | Seahawks | Seahawks |
| XLIX | Patriots vs. Seahawks | Tails | Seahawks | Patriots |
| 50 | Panthers vs. Broncos | Tails | Panthers | Broncos |
| LI | Patriots vs. Falcons | Tails | Falcons | Patriots |
| LII | Eagles vs. Patriots | Heads | Patriots | Eagles |
| LIII | Patriots vs. Rams | Tails | Rams | Patriots |
| LIV | 49ers vs. Chiefs | Tails | 49ers | Chiefs |
| LV | Chiefs vs. Buccaneers | Heads | Chiefs | Buccaneers |
| LVI | Rams vs. Bengals | Heads | Bengals | Rams |
| LVII | Chiefs vs. Eagles | Tails | Chiefs | Chiefs |
Who chooses the Super Bowl coin toss?
While the Super Bowl is played at a neutral site each year, there are still “home” and “away” teams. Just like all other NFL games, the away team gets to choose between heads and tails for the opening coin toss.
Home and away designations for the Super Bowl alternate between conferences each year. For Super Bowl LVIII, the San Francisco 49ers will make the call against the Chiefs.
Can you bet on the Super Bowl coin toss?
Fans can bet on the Super Bowl coin toss depending on where they are located.
While sports betting is legal in 38 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., many of those states specifically do not allow bets on the coin toss.
Within days of the Super Bowl LVIII matchup being set, Caesars in Las Vegas took a $100,000 wager on tails.
