What number is the Super Bowl this year? Explaining the NFL’s Roman numeral system for 2026 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Super Bowl is inbound, and NFL fans will watch as the Seattle Seahawks take on the New England Patriots in Santa Clara.
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As one of the rare organizations still using them, the NFL’s choice adds a touch of tradition to each Super Bowl. However, since most people rarely use Roman numerals daily, it can be difficult to identify which Super Bowl will take place this season.
Despite Roman numerals being confusing for some, they’re an excellent way for the NFL to differentiate each Super Bowl, giving each year its own characteristics.
The Sporting News provides a complete explanation of the NFL’s Roman numeral system used for the Super Bowl.
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MORE SUPER BOWL 60 NEWS:
What number is the Super Bowl this year?
The Seahawks and Patriots will face off in Super Bowl LX, also called Super Bowl 60. The Roman numeral for 60 is straightforward: L equals 50 and X equals 10, so LX equals 60.
Roman numerals use different combinations of the same letters to create numbers.
Symbol
Number
I
1
V
5
X
10
L
50
C
100
D
500
M
1,000
The goal is to use the fewest letters to form the number. For example, three would be III, and six would be VI, creating an efficient letter combination.
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Roman numerals chart
This year’s Super Bowl is quite simple, but some of the numbers may seem confusing at first. Here’s a useful chart to help you identify which numbers match specific Roman numeral combinations.
roman-numerals-012020
Why does the Super Bowl use Roman numerals?
While Roman numerals are now strongly associated with the Super Bowl, the NFL didn’t always use them to identify the games. It was only with Super Bowl 25 that the league adopted Roman numerals to clearly indicate the game’s position in the series, avoiding any confusion about the year it was played.
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Since the Super Bowl occurs in January of the year following the regular season, using Roman numerals helps prevent mix-ups, such as the 2026 Super Bowl being linked to the 2025 season.
The only exception was Super Bowl 50, which the NFL celebrated as a milestone number, deliberately avoiding the use of Super Bowl L.