It’s the thing that comes up every darn year: the number of the Super Bowl is written in Roman numerals, which is quite the tradition. But if you’re here, you might be wondering: how do you read Roman numerals in the first place? SUPER BOWL PREDICTIONS: How the 2025 Super Bowl could go terribly wrong for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs

The use of Roman numerals did not become an NFL tradition until Super Bowl V in 1971. The first two Super Bowls were known as the AFL-NFL world Championship Game. The name “Super Bowl” was officially adopted for the third annual game and the league retroactively added Roman numerals to the Super Bowls before 1971.

The Super Bowl is set for Feb. 9 between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans, LA. This year's Super Bowl will be Super Bowl LIX, otherwise known as Super Bowl 59. The Roman numeral naming system for The Big Game is unique to the NFL, and has been in place for more than five decades.