You’ve got the wings ordered. The couch is positioned perfectly. But then that one friend asks the question that ruins your schedule: What time is the Super Bowl over? Most people think it’s a simple three-hour window. It isn’t.
If you are planning your Monday morning based on a 9:00 PM wrap-up, you’re going to be very tired at work. Honestly, the "Big Game" has basically turned into a marathon that stretches the limits of a standard Sunday night. Between the 100-yard drives and the million-dollar commercials, time sort of evaporates.
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The Short Answer for Super Bowl LX (2026)
If everything goes perfectly, Super Bowl LX will be over around 10:15 PM EST on Sunday, February 8, 2026. But "perfectly" rarely happens in football.
Kickoff is officially set for 6:30 PM EST (3:30 PM local time in Santa Clara, California). Since the game is being played at Levi’s Stadium, home of the 49ers, the West Coast gets a daylight start while the East Coast is already settling into prime time.
Why the 10:15 PM estimate is usually a lie
The average NFL game lasts about three hours and twelve minutes. The Super Bowl? It’s a different beast entirely. You have to account for:
- The Halftime Show: While a regular game gives players 12 to 15 minutes to catch their breath, the Super Bowl halftime is roughly 30 minutes. This year, Bad Bunny is headlining. Moving a massive stage onto grass and then taking it off without ruining the turf takes a logistical miracle, and that miracle takes time.
- Commercial Breaks: Advertisers pay upwards of $7 million for 30 seconds. The NFL and NBC aren't going to rush those. There are more "TV timeouts" in this game than any other Sunday of the year.
- Replay Reviews: In a game where every inch matters for the Lombardi Trophy, referees spend a lot of time under the hood looking at graining footage of cleats hitting sidelines.
What Time Is the Super Bowl Over Historically?
Looking at the data from the last few years gives us a much clearer picture of when you can actually plan to turn off the TV.
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In 2024, Super Bowl LVIII was a total schedule-killer. Because the Chiefs and 49ers went into overtime, the game didn’t actually end until 10:46 PM EST. That made it the longest Super Bowl in history in terms of actual game clock time.
If you look at the 2025 matchup in New Orleans (Super Bowl LIX), the game wrapped up closer to the 10:10 PM EST mark, which is the "sweet spot" for most non-overtime years.
Recent Wrap-Up Times (EST):
- Super Bowl LVIII (2024): 10:46 PM (Overtime drama)
- Super Bowl LVII (2023): 10:08 PM
- Super Bowl LVI (2022): 9:57 PM (A rare "fast" game)
- Super Bowl LV (2021): 9:45 PM (A blowout usually ends earlier)
Basically, if the game is close, it lasts longer. If it goes to overtime, you're looking at an 11:00 PM finish. If it’s a blowout and one team is just running the ball to kill the clock in the fourth quarter, you might get to bed by 10:00 PM.
Why Does It Take So Long?
It’s easy to blame the singing and the dancing, but the real culprit is the "stoppage."
An NFL game only has 60 minutes of actual game time. However, a study by Quartz famously found that the ball is actually in play for only about 11 minutes in a typical broadcast. The rest is standing around, huddling, and showing shots of coaches looking stressed on the sidelines.
During the Super Bowl, this effect is amplified. NBC, which is broadcasting the 2026 game, has to balance the flow of the game with the demands of global advertisers. We also have to consider the "intro" factor. Charlie Puth is set to sing the National Anthem for 2026, and while most singers aim for the two-minute mark, the entire pre-game ceremony (coin toss, flyovers, introductions) usually pushes the actual first kick to about 6:40 PM EST.
Managing Your Super Bowl Sunday Schedule
If you’re hosting or just trying to survive the night, here is how the timing actually breaks down in real-world hours:
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM: The First Half
The first two quarters usually fly by because the adrenaline is high. You’ll see the most "big" commercials during this window. Expect the whistle for halftime to blow around 8:10 PM.
8:15 PM - 8:45 PM: The Bad Bunny Halftime Show
This is the "intermission." If you aren't a fan of the music, this is your primary window to refill the snack bowls or actually eat dinner. If you are a fan, don't move. These sets are tightly choreographed and usually over in exactly 13-15 minutes, with the rest of the time used for setup and teardown.
9:00 PM - 10:15 PM: The Second Half
The third quarter is usually the slowest part of the broadcast. By the fourth quarter, if the score is within one touchdown, expect multiple timeouts and "two-minute warning" drama that stretches the final five minutes of clock time into twenty minutes of real-time.
10:15 PM and Beyond: Post-Game
The game might be "over," but the broadcast isn't. You’ve got the trophy presentation, the MVP interview, and the inevitable "I'm going to Disney World" quote. If you care about the celebration, add another 30 minutes to your night.
Factors That Could Keep You Up Late
There are two wildcards that can completely blow up the question of what time is the Super Bowl over.
- Overtime: Since the NFL changed playoff overtime rules to ensure both teams get a possession (under certain conditions), overtime is much more likely to be a long, drawn-out affair.
- The "Blackout" Factor: We can’t forget Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans where the lights literally went out. That caused a 34-minute delay. While Levi’s Stadium is state-of-the-art, technical glitches or lengthy injury timeouts are the only things that could push the game past the 11:00 PM EST mark.
Practical Steps for Your View Party
If you want to enjoy the game without hating yourself on Monday morning, focus on the "buffer."
Set a "Hard Exit" for Guests: If you're hosting, tell people the party ends 15 minutes after the final whistle. This prevents the "post-game linger" where people start re-watching highlights while you're trying to clean up nacho cheese.
Record the Game: If you absolutely have to be in bed by 10:00 PM, start the game on a 30-minute delay. By fast-forwarding through the commercials and the halftime fluff, you can usually "catch up" to the live broadcast by the fourth quarter and still finish at a reasonable hour.
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Watch the Clock, Not the Score: If the game is a blowout by the middle of the third quarter (think 30+ points difference), history says the winning team will run the ball to keep the clock moving. These games end significantly faster. If it's a shootout, settle in for a long night.
The smartest move is to plan for a 10:30 PM EST finish. That way, if it ends early, it’s a win. If it goes late, you’re already prepared for the caffeine-heavy Monday ahead.