Super Bowl wins by conference: the almost unbelievable AFC vs NFC tally

Prior to the 1970 merger between the American Football League and the National Football League, there had been four annual games pitting the Champion of each league against each other to determine an overall top team. Officially known as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game, the fixture had been informally known as the “Super Bowl” amongst fans, and even referred to as such in an on-air commentary.

From the merger onward, the game has been officially dubbed the “Super Bowl” and still sees the American Conference champion face the National Conference champion for gridiron supremacy. As we near the fifty-ninth edition of this contest, the original question that it was meant to answer is still open to interpretation. Namely, is the AFC or the NFC the “superior” league?

Who has won more Super Bowls: NFC or AFC?

Curiously, the NFC and the AFC are currently level in the Vince Lombardi Trophy count with 29 wins each. The recent resurgence of the Kansas City Chiefs has seen them cut the gap on their opponents and move onto equal footing.

If we look more specifically, since the first Super Bowl in 1967, the NFC East has been the most successful division in the NFL, grabbing 21 NFC championships and 13 Super Bowl victories. The last franchise in the NFC East to be Super Bowl champions were the Philadelphia Eagles, who defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI in 2017.

And while this marks the highest of any division in the league, the Eagles blew their chance to break their own record and up the scale in conference wins over the AFC when they lost to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.

This year, many believe the Chiefs can go all the way and stretch their record to three in a row, but ahead of time any of the four teams - Commanders, Eagles or Bills - could mount a strong case to be called the best team in the world.

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The game between the Washington Commanders and the Philadelphia Eagles will be played on Sunday, January 26, with kickoff at 3:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. PT. The AFC Championship Game between the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs will be played at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday January 26, 2025. Kick-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

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