Best Super Bowl Ads for 2026, Ranked

The stage is set for an all-out superstar showdown, and we’re not talking about the on-field action. With Super Bowl LX exploding onto television screens on Sunday 9 February (Monday 10am AEST), the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks will lock horns in a battle for the ages, but elsewhere, the real spectacle has already begun.

Kicking off as early as last week, the best of the best Super Bowl ads for 2026 slowly started infiltrating our feeds, arriving on streaming platforms, YouTube and, of course, TV. A proverbial buffet of big-name celebrities offering their cameo services to the highest bidder, the 2026 Super Bowl ad roster is as stacked as the sporting event itself. And for the amount of money some brands are paying, you’d expect nothing less.

Best Super Bowl Commercials of 2026

Building on last year, advertisers have once again upped the ante for the best Super Bowl commercials. Littered with A-list stars, cameo appearances and pop-culture references, these big-budget clips are worth a watch. Here’s a roundup of the best commercials and high-profile misses for Super Bowl LIX.

• Funniest: Peyton Manning, Shane Gillis, and Post Malone for Bud Light
• Best celebrity cameo: Sabrina Carpenter for Pringles
• Strangest Super Bowl ad: Creepy Hairball for Manscaped
• Big budget favourite: Pepsi vs. Coca-Cola

Now we’ve rounded up our favourites, let’s check out the complete list.

1. Pepsi vs. Coca-Cola

• Key Talent: Directed by Taika Waititi
• Concept: A traitorous Polar Bear chooses Pepsi Zero Sugar over Coca-Cola
• Brand Mission: Reinvigorating the “Cola Wars” by focusing on superior taste
• Memorable Hook: Set to Queen’s “I Want to Break Free” during the switch
• Strategic Context: A direct challenge to the competitor’s most iconic mascot

2. William Shatner for Kellogg’s

• Key Talent: William Shatner stars as the “Bran Ambassador,” or “Will Shat.”
• Ad Concept: Shatner uses a high-tech command centre to beam fibre-rich cereal
• Brand Mission: Promoting gut health to close the American fibre gap
• Memorable Hook: The humorous play on words involving the “Will Shat” nickname
• Strategic Context: Part of the “Wellness Bowl” trend focusing on longevity

3. Peyton Manning, Shane Gillis, and Post Malone for Bud Light

• Key Talent: Stars Peyton Manning, comedian Shane Gillis, and singer Post Malone
• Ad Concept: Friends transport a Bud Light keg to a wedding via rideshare
• Brand Mission: Positioning Bud Light as the essential centrepiece for every party
• Memorable Hook: The trio singing Limp Bizkit’s “Rollin’” during their chaotic drive
• Strategic Context: Using sports, comedy, and music icons to broaden brand appeal

4. Matthew McConaughey and Bradley Cooper for Uber Eats

• Key Talent: Features Matthew McConaughey, Bradley Cooper, and actress Parker Posey
• Ad Concept: Conspiracy theory that the Super Bowl merely sells food
• Brand Mission: Highlighting Uber Eats as the essential utility for game-day hunger
• Memorable Hook: McConaughey’s signature “Alright, alright, alright” delivery throughout the spot
• Strategic Context: A meta-narrative mocking the extreme commercialisation of the sporting event

5. Duolingo Bird for the Bad Banny Halftime Show

• Key Talent: Duo the Owl and Halftime performer Bad Bunny
• Ad Concept: Duo teaches fans Spanish phrases to sing along at halftime
• Brand Mission: Making language learning culturally relevant through high-profile music events
• Memorable Hook: The “Bad Bunny 101” curriculum launched specifically for the show
• Strategic Context: Capitalising on the first Spanish-language-heavy Super Bowl halftime

6. Spike Lee for Oakley

• Key Talent: Directed by Spike Lee
• Ad Concept: High-intensity showcase of AI-integrated “Oakley Meta” smart glasses
• Brand Mission: Merging high-fashion eyewear with wearable AI technology
• Memorable Hook: Visceral POV shots showing athletes interacting with real-time data
• Strategic Context: Targeting tech-savvy Gen-Z and elite athletes with performance gear

7. Liquid Death

• Key Talent: Unhinged ensemble cast using the brand’s internal creative
• Ad Concept: Chaotic “horror-comedy” spot highlighting aggressive hydration for fans
• Brand Mission: Transforming water from a necessity into a “lifestyle” energy product
• Memorable Hook: Signature “Murder Your Thirst” tagline delivered in cinematic style
• Strategic Context: Using cult-status branding to disrupt traditional soda advertising markets

8. George Clooney and Yorgos Lanthimos for Grubhub

• Key Talent: George Clooney and directed by Academy Award-winner Yorgos Lanthimos
• Ad Concept: Surreal, dream-like delivery sequence presented as a prestige film
• Brand Mission: Announcing a “no-fee” structure for restaurant orders over $50
• Memorable Hook: Contrast between Clooney’s charm and Lanthimos’s bizarre visuals
• Strategic Context: Grubhub’s first Super Bowl ad, targeting premium food delivery users

9. Creepy Hairball for Manscaped

• Key Talent: Handcrafted puppets created by the famous Perlorian Brothers
• Ad Concept: Discarded body hair clumps sing a dramatic power ballad
• Brand Mission: Expanding the brand image beyond “down-there” male grooming products
• Memorable Hook: Sentient hairballs performing a “grotesque-yet-lovable” musical number
• Strategic Context: Using weird, memorable visuals to stand out from celebrity-heavy ads

10. Sabrina Carpenter for Pringles

• Key Talent: Pop star Sabrina Carpenter and a “Pringleo” mascot
• Ad Concept: Carpenter interacts with a fictional partner made entirely of Pringles
• Brand Mission: Reintroducing the classic “Once You Pop” slogan to Gen-Z
• Memorable Hook: The romantic parody involving a partner built from potato crisps
• Strategic Context: Leveraging the “pop star of the moment” to drive engagement

11. Chris Hemsworth for Amazon Alexa

• Key Talent: Chris Hemsworth in a high-energy comedic thriller
• Ad Concept: Hemsworth believes Alexa’s advanced AI is plotting to kill him
• Brand Mission: Highlighting the rapid advancement and household integration of Alexa’s AI
• Memorable Hook: Physically imposing actor showing comical fear of a speaker
• Strategic Context: Part of Amazon’s broader strategy to dominate the 2026 technology

12. Andy Cohen for NERDS

• Key Talent: Andy Cohen and the “Gummy” brand mascot
• Ad Concept: Glamorous red-carpet debut for the new “Juicy Gummy Clusters.”
• Brand Mission: Introducing larger candy clusters to a younger, high-energy audience
• Memorable Hook: Cohen playing the “best bud” and coach to the mascot
• Strategic Context: Building on three years of successful, music-themed Super Bowl spots

13. Serena Williams for Ro

• Key Talent: Serena Williams
• Ad Concept: Williams shares her experience using GLP-1 medication for weight loss
• Brand Mission: Reframing weight loss as a long-term, clinical metabolic health journey
• Memorable Hook: Real statistics showing Williams’s weight loss and heart disease reduction
• Strategic Context: Moving the pharma conversation toward longevity and clinical evidence

14. Rob Gronkowski and George Kittle for Norvatis

• Key Talent: NFL tight-ends Rob Gronkowski, George Kittle, and Tony Gonzalez
• Ad Concept: Men’s health initiative titled “Relax Your Tight End”
• Brand Mission: Encouraging men to get blood tests for prostate cancer screenings
• Memorable Hook: Using sports-themed puns to address a serious medical topic
• Strategic Context: Converting a massive sporting event into a proactive health movement

15. Ben Stiller and Benson Boone for Instacart

• Key Talent: Ben Stiller and Benson Boone; directed by Spike Jonze
• Ad Concept: Musical battle over produce quality on a glittering stage
• Brand Mission: Promoting the “Preference Picker” feature for ripeness-specific grocery orders
• Memorable Hook: A “retro-disco” musical performance filmed with vintage tube cameras
• Strategic Context: Highlighting Instacart’s #1 selling item: the perfectly ripe banana

16. Kurt Russell for Michelob ULTRA

• Key Talent: Kurt Russell, Lewis Pullman, and Olympian Chloe Kim
• Ad Concept: Russell plays a ski instructor coaching others to find their edge
• Brand Mission: Linking the brand to the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics
• Memorable Hook: High-octane skiing footage directed by the Top Gun: Maverick director
• Strategic Context: Anchoring brand to the slogan: “Superior Is Worth Playing For”

17. Ben Affleck for Dunkin’

• Key Talent: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, and Jason Alexander
• Ad Concept: Affleck continues his “DunKings” musical ambitions with a celebrity ensemble
• Brand Mission: Solidifying Dunkin’s place in pop culture through recurring comedic characters
• Memorable Hook: Mini-Friends reunion featuring Aniston and LeBlanc in Boston gear
• Strategic Context: Continuing one of the most successful recurring ad series ever

18. Adrien Brody for TurboTax

• Key Talent: Oscar-winner Adrien Brody and directed by Craig Gillespie
• Ad Concept: Brody uses “method acting” to become a professional tax expert
• Brand Mission: Promoting TurboTax’s expert-led services and physical retail locations
• Memorable Hook: Dramatic contrast between “method acting” and mundane tax preparation
• Strategic Context: Framing tax season as a drama solved by professional expertise

How Much is a Super Bowl Ad in 2026?

Over the last decade, the cost of a Super Bowl ad has exploded into the millions. However, for advertisers, the unique opportunity is still an enticing deal. CBS, one of the networks responsible for the 2025 Super Bowl broadcast, announced in November last year that it had sold out of Super Bowl commercials, with multiple 30-second spots selling for a record USD$8 million each.

The figure, while astounding, merely reflects the upward trajectory of the sporting event, which regularly draws over 100 million viewers. Last year, CBS reported that a 30-second spot would set companies back USD$7 million, representing a 14 per cent price hike in just 12 months and a whopping 55 per cent increase since 2019. Peter Bray, founder and executive creative director at ad agency Bray & Co., told MoneyWatch that the incremental creep of advertising costs is driving the event towards a billion-dollar ad sales market.

“I think in three years it’s going to hit a billion dollars in ad sales. And that has never before happened on the planet. That is the immensity of this event,” the advertising expert explained. “It’s the advertising industry’s Super Bowl as well. It’s the one time of year where the general public actually cares about advertising so it’s an exciting time.”

“It’s (social media) actually made advertising in the Super Bowl more relevant than ever because what’s happened is with all these different platforms, it’s very difficult to find a large audience at once,” Bray said. “Someone might advertise as an advertiser on TikTok, or on Instagram … all of these different advertising opportunities. But you might be duplicating because the audience on TikTok, maybe 90 per cent are the same audience on Instagram, so there’s a lot of duplication.”

Despite the enormous value placed on the TV spot, it accounts for only a portion of the total. Advertisers go all out in the pursuit of Super Bowl commercial perfection, tapping celebrities from across the globe for guest appearances, cameo performances and unique parodies, driving production costs to eye-watering amounts. Take, for example, Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant commercial from 2022. The ad placement, headlined by Creedstar and all-around sex symbol Michael B. Jordan, cost a whopping USD$26 million to produce, making it the most expensive advertisement in Super Bowl history.

For Super Bowl LIX, production costs are likely to swell further, with external factors such as inflation driving up costs. Throw in a dazzling halftime performance by Rihanna, her first major appearance since 2016, and you’ve got a recipe for a blockbuster bottom line. With a number of famous faces already attaching themselves to major brands, the sheer value of a Super Bowl ad in 2025 is only growing.

Why are Super Bowl Ads So Expensive?

Put simply, the Super Bowl is one of the most-watched entertainment spectacles on television each and every year. Broadcast across 225 stations in more than 180 countries, alongside around 450 radio stations, the sporting event is a perfect place to reveal new brand messaging, products, or taglines. In the past, classic ads like Wendy’s 1984 hit Where’s the Beef? And Budweiser’s Whassup? from 1999 made its Super Bowl debut before transcending the sporting arena and entering the cultural vernacular.

In 2023, Super Bowl LVI was viewed by a staggering 99.18 million people; however, it fell short of the all-time viewing record. The most-watched Super Bowl ever was Super Bowl XVI in 1982, which drew 127.7 million viewers as the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks battled. Needless to say, with numbers like this, it’s little wonder brands are eager to jump at the lucrative, albeit very expensive, advertising opportunity.