Explaining How the Super Bowl Referees Are Chosen

The NFL uses a special selection process to build the NFL officiating crew. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

As we saw first-hand during the divisional round of the 2025 playoffs, an officiating call has the power to make or break an NFL game. And no NFL game is more important than the Super Bowl.

So of course, the NFL takes a little extra care in selecting the officials for the championship contest, lest a subject ruling or rookie mistake overshadow what is meant to be the highlight of most football players' careers.

Below, let's take a look at how that process goes down:

How are Super Bowl referees chosen?

The “audition process,” if you will, to become a Super Bowl referee starts at the beginning of the season. From that first snap on, the NFL is watching, analyzing and grading the performance of every official working every game. When it’s time to build the Super Bowl crew, the highest-rated individual at each position is then tapped to work the big game.

There is an added wrinkle there, though; each official must also meet the qualifications to work a championship game before they are selected. To referee a Super Bowl, an official must first have five years of NFL experience, three years of experience as an NFL referee specifically, and have worked one playoff game as a referee in a previous season. For all other officiating positions, an official needs five years of NFL experience and to have worked either one career conference championship or three playoff-qualifying seasons in the previous five years.

Who are the referees for Super Bowl LX?

Here's a look at the full seven-person officiating crew (plus the replay official) for Super Bowl LX on Sunday, Feb. 8:

Position	Name
Referee	Shawn Smith
Umpire	Roy Ellison
Down Judge	Dana McKenzie
Line Judge	Julian Mapp
Field Judge	Jason Ledet
Side Judge	Eugene Hall
Back Judge	Greg Steed
Replay Official	Andrew Lambert

What is the job of each officiating position?

Per the NFL’s operations website, these are some of the general responsibilities for each on-field officiating position.

Note: Each official has responsibilities beyond what is listed below. For more information, click here.

Role	Position	General Responsibilities
Referee/Crew Chief	The offensive backfield.	Wears the white cap; oversees everything related to the officials and maintains the pace of the game, etc.
Umpire	Primarily stands opposite the referee.	Reviews equipment; counts offense on field; watches for offensive holding, etc.
Down Judge	On sideline, directly on LOS (line of scrimmage).	Directs chain crew; watches for offsides and encroachment, etc.
Field Judge	Defensive backfield. Same sideline as line judge, 25 yards down from LOS.	Watches receivers for illegal use of hands, etc.; watches DBs for penalties, etc.
Side Judge	Same sideline as down judge, 25 yards down from LOS.	Acts as primary timekeeper if game clock malfunctions; watches receivers for illegal use of hands and fouls; counts defensive players on field, etc.
Back Judge	Deep defensive backfield. 30 yards downfield.	Counts defensive players on field; keeps track of 40- or 25-second game clock and manages TV breaks
Line Judge	Opposite sideline from down judge, looking down LOS.	Watches for offsides and encroachment; counts defensive players on field, etc

---