CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – For the second year in a row, Budweiser’s Clydesdale horse commercial was rated the Super Bowl’s best.
This year’s Budweiser ad featured a Clydesdale foal that grew up with a bald eagle — a nod to America’s 250th anniversary.
The young horse and eagle first meet while the foal is out frolicking and sees the bird fall out of its nest. The eagle then follows the horse back to the barn, and before long, the two are trudging through the rain and snow.
As the commercial goes on and the two keep growing, the Clydesdale seemingly tries to help the eagle fly … at first to no avail.

The ad has one shot that shows the eagle riding on the horse’s back, with its wings spread wide. At that moment, the horse jumps over a fallen tree and for a brief second looks like the Clydesdale is about to take flight — only for the eagle to then soar.
All the while, the Lynyrd Skynyrd song “Free Bird” plays while a farmer watches the two from afar. By the end, the farmer is moved enough by their bond that he sheds a tear.
The ad ends with a golden-hour shot of the eagle flying high while the now fully grown Clydesdale runs through a field below.
The 60-second commercial was good enough to take the top spot in USA Today’s Ad Meter ratings. Budweiser’s 2026 win marked its 10th time taking USA Today’s highest ranking. The full commercial can be watched at the bottom of this story.










