The organization sets a new record, granting the largest number of wishes ever at a Super Bowl
NFL and Fanatics elevate the week with VIP moments and exclusive gear as families experience Super Bowl LX festivities Feb. 4–8, 2026
PHOENIX, Feb. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Make-A-Wish® is sending 24 wish kids to the San Francisco Bay Area to attend Super Bowl LX — the largest number of wishes ever granted at a Super Bowl — with support from the National Football League (NFL), Fanatics, the official sports partner of Make-A-Wish, and other corporate partners.
Families will take part in five days of Super Bowl festivities from February 4–8, culminating at Levi’s® Stadium in Santa Clara for the NFL’s championship game.
Over the past 44 years, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 300 Super Bowl wishes, with the NFL supporting hundreds more football wishes through all 32 teams and their players. The first Super Bowl wish was granted in 1982 for John Paul Serna, a 12-year-old from Arizona who attended Super Bowl XVI, marking the ninth wish in Make-A-Wish history.
Partnership Highlights
The NFL and Fanatics will provide exclusive access and experiences throughout Super Bowl Week, ensuring each wish kid and their families enjoy a memorable event. Activities include:
- Wednesday, Feb. 4: Welcome reception at Topgolf, a longtime partner of Make-A-Wish, where wish kids will connect with one another with a trading card activation hosted by Topps.
- Thursday, Feb. 5: Powered by the NFL’s longstanding commitment to Make-A-Wish, families will get a behind-the-scenes tour of Levi’s Stadium followed by attendance at NFL Honors.
- Friday, Feb. 6: Fanatics has some NFL player-sized surprises in store for the wish families when they visit Lids Pier 39. Each wish kid will receive a $200 credit for official Super Bowl LX merchandise. Families will also take in the Super Bowl Experience, hosted by the NFL, where wish kids can create the perfect sidekick at the Build-A-Bear x NFL Shop station. They’ll build their very own bear and dress it in their jersey of choice for a game-day good luck charm. New this year, several Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominees will offer personal words of encouragement to wish kids, creating voice recordings that can be incorporated into the bears they are making.
- Saturday, Feb. 7: Families explore San Francisco and enjoy the energy of Super Bowl Week.
- Sunday, Feb. 8: The week culminates at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. The wish kids will watch the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks face off for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
“Seeing wish kids and their families at the Super Bowl, where sports, community and hope intersect, shows the impact a wish can have,” said Leslie Motter, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish America. “With support from partners like the NFL and Fanatics, these experiences help reduce stress, improve emotional well-being, and support better health during treatment. For decades, Super Bowl wishes have demonstrated how sports can provide comfort and strength to kids facing critical illness.”
Since partnering with Make-A-Wish in 2023, Fanatics has enhanced more than 900 sports-related wishes by creating experiences such as athlete meet-and-greets, premium hospitality at championship events, exclusive merchandise, and surprise moments that make wish kids feel like MVPs.
The Super Bowl remains one of Make-A-Wish’s most impactful annual wish-granting moments. For more than four decades, the NFL has played a key role in granting wishes that bring joy and strength to children and families facing critical illness.
To learn more and find out how you can get involved, visit wish.org.
About Make-A-Wish
Make-A-Wish creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Founded in Phoenix, Arizona, Make-A-Wish is the #1 most trusted nonprofit operating locally in all 50 states throughout the U.S. Together with generous donors, supporters, staff and nearly 20,000 volunteers across the country, Make-A-Wish delivers hope and joy to children and their families when they need it most. Make-A-Wish aims to bring the power of wishing to every child with a critical illness because wish experiences can help improve emotional and physical health. Since 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 650,000 wishes in nearly 50 countries worldwide; more than 400,000 wishes in the U.S. and its territories alone. For more information about Make-A-Wish America, visit wish.org.
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SOURCE MAKE-A-WISH AMERICA
