The Kansas City Chiefs have become one of the NFL’s most prestigious franchises, and that status has come with a bunch of Super Bowl rings. After originally being founded as the Dallas Texans of the AFL in 1959, the Chiefs moved to Kansas City the following season and have gone on to become a frequent participant in the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs’ presence in the big game is fitting since founder Lamar Hunt was the one who coined the term “Super Bowl.” But with their recent success, it's easy to lose track of just how many this franchise has won, let alone how many they've appeared in.
How Many Super Bowls Have the Chiefs Played In and How Many Have They Won?
- Super Bowl appearances: 7
- Super Bowl wins: 4
- Record: 4-3
- Most recent win: Super Bowl LVIII (2024)
- Super Bowls won: IV (1970), LIV (2020), LVII (2023), LVIII (2024)
- Super Bowls lost: I (1967), LV (2021), LIX (2025)
The Chiefs have played in 7 Super Bowls, walking away with 4 wins and 3 losses. Kansas City was one of the first two teams to ever make an appearance, but after losing to the Green Bay Packers they didn't win their first until Super Bowl IV in 1970. After that, it took 50 years to get back to the big game, but they made up for the long wait, appearing in 5 and winning 3 in a six-season stretch from the 2019 through 2024 seasons.
Game | Date | Opponent | Result | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Super Bowl I | Jan. 15, 1967 | Green Bay Packers | L, 35-10 | Bart Starr |
Super Bowl IV | Jan. 11, 1970 | Minnesota Vikings | W, 23-7 | Len Dawson |
Super Bowl LIV | Feb. 2, 2020 | San Francisco 49ers | W, 31-20 | Patrick Mahomes |
Super Bowl LV | Feb. 7, 2021 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L, 31-9 | Tom Brady |
Super Bowl LVII | Feb. 12, 2023 | Philadelphia Eagles | W, 38-35 | Patrick Mahomes |
Super Bowl LVIII | Feb. 11, 2024 | San Francisco 49ers | W, 25-22 (OT) | Patrick Mahomes |
Super Bowl LIX | Feb. 9, 2025 | Philadelphia Eagles | L, 22-40 | Jalen Hurts |
Reliving Every Chiefs Super Bowl Appearance
Super Bowl I (1967): Packers 35, Chiefs 10
The Chiefs entered the first Super Bowl with an 11-2-1 record and defeated the Buffalo Bills 31-7 in the AFL Championship Game. But they were still 14-point underdogs to the Packers due to the NFL’s status as the more established and dominant league, according to Pro Football Reference.
The Chiefs hung around with the Packers thanks to Curtis McClinton’s seven-yard touchdown in the second quarter and trailed 14-10 at halftime. An interception by Packers safety Willie Wood proved to be the turning point in the third quarter, with Green Bay scoring 21 unanswered points behind Super Bowl MVP Bart Starr (16-for-23, 250 yards, 2 TD, INT) and Max McGee (7 catches, 138 yards, 2 TD) to claim the “World Professional Football Championship Trophy.”
Super Bowl IV (1970): Chiefs 23, Vikings 7
When the Chiefs returned to the Super Bowl three years later, it was a much different landscape. The AFL was starting to gain respect after Joe Namath led the New York Jets to victory over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, but the Chiefs were still 12-point underdogs to the Minnesota Vikings.
Entering the game with an 11-3 record and the momentum of two road victories over the Jets and Oakland Raiders, the Chiefs’ defense outshined Minnesota’s “Purple People Eaters,” recording 3 interceptions, and holding the Vikings to 67 yards rushing. Len Dawson (12-for-17, 142 yards, TD, INT) won MVP honors and was one of 12 Hall of Famers that took the field in that game, with two more (Hank Stram and Vikings head coach Bud Grant) on the sidelines.
Super Bowl LIV (2020): Chiefs 31, 49ers 20
It took 50 years for the Chiefs to return to the Super Bowl, and there was plenty of heartbreak along the way. Kansas City ranked 10th in the NFL with 401 wins from 1971 to 2020, and their recent history added another twist of the knife when Tom Brady and the New England Patriots came into Arrowhead Stadium and scored a 37-31 victory in the 2018 AFC Championship Game. Then everything changed the following season.
For about three quarters of Super Bowl LIV, it appeared more heartbreak was on the way. After going into halftime tied at 10-10, the 49ers took a 20-10 lead on Raheem Mostert’s 1-yard touchdown run with 2:35 left in the third quarter. That lead held until Travis Kelce scored on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes with 6:13 left in the fourth quarter, and a pair of touchdown runs by Damien Williams sealed the game and gave Kansas City its first championship in the modern era.
Super Bowl LV (2021): Buccaneers 31, Chiefs 9
The Chiefs were thinking about a repeat when they marched into the Super Bowl the following year with a 13-3 record and a definitive 38-24 win over the Bills in the AFC Championship Game. But while they were able to banish one of their biggest rivals on the way to the game, they ran into their final boss when they got there.
While Brady playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a strange sight, his performance was a familiar one, completing 21 of 29 passes for 201 yards and 3 touchdowns. Brady also got a lift from the Tampa Bay defense, which chased Mahomes around for 3 sacks and forced 2 interceptions to keep the Chiefs from repeating.
Super Bowl LVII (2023): Chiefs 38, Eagles 35
After being upset by Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals the previous year, the Chiefs made their return by defeating Cincinnati in the AFC Championship Game and drawing the Philadelphia Eagles. While the Chiefs came into the game with a 14-3 record, the Eagles were actually one-point favorites and took a 24-14 lead into halftime.
While most declared it “The Kelce Bowl” with star tight end Travis Kelce battling his brother and Eagles center Jason Kelce, the Chiefs’ comeback began on a one-yard touchdown run by Isiah Pacheco with 9:30 left in the fourth quarter. After Jake Elliott added to Philadelphia’s lead with a 33-yard field goal, Mahomes threw a pair of touchdown passes to Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore to put Kansas City ahead 35-27 with 9:22 to play. Jalen Hurts tied the game on a two-yard touchdown run, but Harrison Butker’s 27-yard field goal with 11 seconds remaining gave Kansas City its second Super Bowl of the decade.
Super Bowl LVIII (2024): Chiefs 25, 49ers 22 (OT)
Like their previous Super Bowl wins in recent history, the Chiefs had to mount another comeback after falling behind 10-0 early. Kansas City spent most of the game playing catch-up until a 16-yard pass from Mahomes to Marquez Valdes-Scantling gave the Chiefs a 13-10 lead with 2:28 left in the third quarter. Then both teams tossed the lead back and forth before Mahomes orchestrated a two-minute drive late in regulation to set up a 29-yard field goal by Butker to send the game to overtime.
The 49ers won the coin toss and head coach Kyle Shanahan elected to receive in overtime, sparking serious debate after it came back to cost them the game. While Jake Moody gave the 49ers the lead with a 27-yard field goal, the Chiefs knew exactly what they had to do to win the game, and Mahomes marched the Chiefs down the field and hit Mecole Hardman for a 3-yard walk-off touchdown to win his third Super Bowl and the Chiefs’ fourth.
Super Bowl LIX (2025): Eagles 40, Chiefs 22
The Chiefs were looking to become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls. But despite coming into the game with a 14-3 record and one-point favorites, the Eagles made sure that bid was snuffed out early with a 24-0 lead at halftime.
There would be no comeback from the Chiefs this time as Mahomes was sacked 6 times by Vic Fangio’s defense. While he threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns, he also tossed 2 interceptions, allowing the Eagles to put their foot on the gas and Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts (17-for-22, 221 yards, 3 total TD, INT, 72 rushing yards) to lead them to victory.
Where Do the Chiefs Rank in All-Time Super Bowl Wins?
With four Super Bowl wins, the Chiefs are tied with the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers for the third most All-time. In addition, only the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers have had more since the game’s inception in 1966.
Most Super Bowl Victories in NFL History:
- New England Patriots – 6
- Pittsburgh Steelers – 6
- San Francisco 49ers – 5
- Dallas Cowboys – 5
- New York Giants – 4
- Green Bay Packers – 4
- Kansas City Chiefs – 4
With Mahomes' career nowhere near its conclusion yet, it’s possible that the Chiefs could make a run at another title or a few more in the coming years. This run is something fans deserve after the decades-long drought that followed the franchise's early success, and it's something we shouldn't take for granted.