In American football, including the NFL, college, and high school levels, a coin toss determines which team gets possession of the ball at the start of the game and the second half, as well as which end zone each team defends.
Three minutes before kickoff, the referee meets with captains from both teams at midfield. Up to six captains can participate per team, but only one from the visiting team makes the call. The visiting team captain calls heads or tails before the coin is flipped. The referee flips the coin, ensuring it rotates and lands flat.
The team that wins the toss has four options:
- Receive the kickoff to start on offense.
- Kick off to start on defense.
- Defer their choice to the second half, a common strategy.
- Choose an end of the field to defend in the first quarter, less common but useful for environmental factors.
The team that loses the toss gets the remaining option. The team that didn’t choose first at the start of the game gets the first choice in the second half.
Significance:
Winning the toss offers strategic advantages regarding initial possession, the opportunity to receive the second-half kickoff (the “two-for-one” opportunity), and field position.
Overtime Coin Toss:
In the NFL, an overtime coin toss determines initial possession. Regular season overtime is a 10-minute period where both teams get a possession chance unless the first team scores a touchdown; games can end in a tie. Playoff overtime periods are 15 minutes and continue until a winner, with both teams guaranteed a possession chance. A second toss occurs if a game reaches a fifth overtime.
How does the coin toss in football work?
Because the odds are 50/50, the captain will select one of the two options. The referee tosses the coin in the air, and the coin must land on the ground. It will show either heads or tails. If the ground is mud or there are poor conditions, the referee may catch it in his hand.
Does the NFL still do a coin toss?
While the Super Bowl is played at a neutral site each year, there are still “home” and “away” teams. Just like all other NFL games, the away team gets to choose between heads and tails for the opening coin toss.
Who gets to call coin toss in the NFL?
The visiting team’s captain traditionally gets to call “heads” or “tails” as the referee flips the coin.
Has there ever been a coin toss in the NFL?
Good point! Across the first 58 Super Bowls, the coin toss landed tails 30 times and heads 28 times. The longest ever streak for one result went from Super Bowl XLIII to Super Bowl XLVII, when it landed heads five straight times. There have been three stretches in which the Super Bowl coin toss landed tails four straight times.