
The first four Super Bowls from 1967 to 1970 were played before the merger, with the NFL and AFL each winning two. It was originally called the AFL–NFL World Championship Game until the "Super Bowl" moniker was adopted in 1969's Super Bowl III. The game was created as part of a 1966 merger agreement between the NFL and the competing American Football League (AFL) to have their best teams compete for a championship. The day the game is played is often referred to as " Super Bowl Sunday" or simply "Super Sunday". Due to the NFL restricting use of its "Super Bowl" trademark, it is frequently referred to as the "big game" or other generic terms by non-sponsoring corporations. Winning teams are awarded the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named for the coach of the Green Bay Packers who won the first two Super Bowls. Prior Super Bowls were played on Sundays in early to mid-January from 1967 to 1978, late January from 1979 to 2003, except 2002, and the first Sunday of February from 2004 to 2021.

Since 2022, the game is played on the second Sunday in February.

It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. The Super Bowl is the annual league championship game of the National Football League (NFL). Since Super Bowl XLV, the Roman numeral of the game has been featured alongside the trophy, with the exception of Super Bowl 50, with the logo decorated in different colors for each year.Įach winning team's Super Bowl rings, as of the 2010 season, on display in lead up to Super Bowl XLV The Super Bowl logo used since Super Bowl XLV in 2011 showcasing the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
