Budweiser’s new Super Bowl LX ad featuring a bald eagle and Clydesdale foal has sparked emotional reactions online, with fans calling it one of the brand’s most moving commercials yet

Budweiser has just revealed its 2026 Super Bowl commercial, continuing a tradition viewers look forward to every year.

The beer brand is known for pulling on viewers’ heartstrings with emotional storytelling in past Super Bowl ads, including the widely remembered Puppy Love commercial featuring a golden retriever puppy and a Clydesdale horse and the follow‑up Lost Dog spot, both of which became viral and widely praised for their heartfelt narratives.

This year, Budweiser is celebrating 150 years of brewing in the US, and to mark the occasion, the company is featuring two American Icons, a bald eagle and one of Budweiser’s iconic Clydesdale horses, in its Super Bowl LX ad, titled American Icons. After sharing two teasers of the commercial, fans took to social media to react to the first look, after many threatened to boycott the Super Bowl over the Matthew McConaughey ad.

One fan wrote, “This year’s Budweiser Super Bowl commercial just wrecked me. ‘are you crying?…’ ‘No, the sun’s in my eyes.’” Another social media user said, “If this doesn’t bring a tear to your eye, I don’t know what to say. This is the new Super Bowl commercial for Budweiser. It’s not the whole thing but she’ll get the idea. This is one of the best.”

A third wrote, “Just saw your Super Bowl commercial…as much as I am not a fan of seeing them early (that’s why we love the surprise) I THANK YOU. Gave me chills Gave me hope #Clydesdales.” Yet another fan shared, “They won’t let you see this much of the video if you go and look it up on YouTube or anything, but I videoed it. Hopefully it turned out. This is the new Budweiser Super Bowl ad. You’ve got to see this if it doesn’t bring a tear to your eye, I don’t know what to say. It’s hard not to choke up.”

One declared, “Best Budweiser Super Bowl commercial ever!!!!!” as another added, “Besides the commercial after 9/11, this is just as powerful with what’s going on in our country, and especially right now in Minnesota. Well done Budweiser.”

The ad, which marks the 48th Super Bowl commercial appearance by Budweiser Clydesdales, follows a down‑on‑its‑luck eaglet who befriends a Clydesdale foal.

The narrative begins with the foal greeting the morning by galloping out of its stable into the fields, where it encounters a young bald eagle chick that has fallen from its nest.

Over the course of the ad, the two animals form a strong friendship, supporting each other through rain, snow, growing pains, and flying lessons. The commercial ends with the fully grown bald eagle riding on the horse’s back, spreading its wings and taking flight, a moment that briefly makes the Clydesdale appear like a mythical pegasus.

The commercial then cuts to Budweiser’s slogan “Made of America,” followed by the words “For 150 Years, This Bud’s For You,” before concluding on a teary‑eyed farmer watching the Clydesdale and eagle thrive together.

 

In a moment echoed in fan reactions, the farmer’s companion asks, “Are you crying?” to which the emotional farmer replies, “The sun’s in my eyes.” According to Budweiser, one of the farmers featured in the 2026 Super Bowl ad is Brian Fransen, a real‑life Budweiser barley farmer.

In a statement about this year’s spot, Todd Allen, the Senior Vice President of Marketing for Budweiser at Anheuser‑Busch, said, “As we celebrate Budweiser’s 150th anniversary and America’s 250th birthday, we knew we had to rise to the occasion in a way only Budweiser can. American Icons brings our heritage to life through powerful storytelling with the Budweiser Clydesdales and an American Bald Eagle. This year’s spot will leave fans awestruck and proud to enjoy a Budweiser as they celebrate our shared milestone moments.”

The commercial is set to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird. Budweiser worked with Academy Award‑nominated filmmaker Henry‑Alex Rubin for the third year in a row to bring the ad to life.

The eagle featured in the commercial was trained with support from the American Eagle Foundation, and the shoot was reviewed and permitted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The minute‑long American Icons spot will air nationally during Super Bowl LX on Sunday, February 8, 2026, and on Budweiser’s YouTube and social channels. Super Bowl LX will feature the Seattle Seahawks facing the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.