How are the tickets sold and distributed to the Super Bowl teams?

Super Bowl LVIII is fast approaching and NFL fans across the country will be making preparations for the big day. For supporters of the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers getting a good view of the game is essential, a chance to watch a piece of history unfold before their eyes.

This year’s Super Bowl will be hosted at the 65,000-seater Allegiant Stadium, the fourth-smallest venue in NFL. This means that tickets are at a real premium this year, even more than usual.

The distribution process for the all-important tickets is split into three distinct avenues: Super Bowl teams; other NFL franchises; and a prize draw.

Super Bowl teams given ticketing priority

As you would expect, the lion’s share of the ticketing allocation is awarded to the two teams who are battling it out for Super Bowl glory. This year the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers will each receive around 17% of tickets, which they can then distribute to supporters.

Typically this process involves a lottery of team supporters with priority given to season ticket holders. The tickets that the teams distribute among supporters must be sold at face value which is, while still expensive, less astronomical than the prices charges on resale websites.

Ahead of Super Bowl LVIII NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said face-value tickets would start at $950, with options at $1,950, $2,600, $3,250. Suite tickets begin at around $8,000.

Other ways to get Super Bowl tickets

NFL fans not associated with either the Chiefs or the 49ers will have a much harder time getting their hands on tickets, with the remainder of the Super Bowl allocation being spread across a must larger group.

Some tickets will be given to each of the remaining 32 NFL teams to be distributed. However, with comparatively few tickets for each team these are normally snapped up by front office staff and those associated with the team, meaning that they rarely go on general sale.

The third and final (non-resale) avenue for Super Bowl tickets is a prize draw, which the NFL holds every year to allow fans from other teams to attend.

Assuming that you are unable to beat the odds on a massive nation-wide lottery, the only option for most fans will be to scour the vastly-inflated resale market for tickets. For most Super Bowl fans a wide-screen in a packed room will be the best/only option for watching the Chiefs - 49ers rematch on Sunday, February 11.