The Super Bowl 2026 took place on Sunday, with the Seattle Seahawks defeating the New England Patriots (or a similar matchup based on reports).
This year’s ads leaned heavily into AI themes in sharp contrast to the 2022 “Crypto Bowl.”
Actual cryptocurrency-specific ads were rather limited compared to past years, like 2022.
Coinbase had the most prominent crypto ad. Coinbase returned after its famous 2022 QR code spot with a 60-second karaoke-style commercial set to the Backstreet Boys’ song “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).”
It featured retro, low-def graphics, turning TVs into a sing-along lyric screen.
Coinbase has faced some backlash and mixed-to-negative reactions over its Super Bowl 2026 ad. Many called it “lazy,” “cheap,” or “low-effort.”
Some recalled the watch party erupting in boos upon realizing a nostalgic Backstreet Boys karaoke ad was for Coinbase.
Crypto.com’s CEO Kris Marszalek was involved in an ad for AI.com (a new AI platform he founded/led), which aired in the fourth quarter.
The top ads
Some of the “best” ads based on early recaps include Hellmann’s “Meal Diamond” (Andy Samberg as a desperate, pathetic Neil Diamond parody singing “Sweet Caroline” with singing bologna), Squarespace (Emma Stone in a black-and-white hissy fit over an unavailable domain, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos), Pringles “Pringleleo” (Sabrina Carpenter’s cheeky, campy humor with a Pringles boyfriend twist), and Instacart (Ben Stiller and Benson Boone going bananas in a flip-heavy, chaotic spot, directed by Spike Jonze).
