The National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl, arguably the biggest single event in United States sports with a huge global audience as well, takes place this Sunday.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 American football championship, including who is performing at halftime:
Which teams are playing in the 59th Super Bowl?
The Kansas City Chiefs will play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX.
It is the second time in three years that the Chiefs will face the Eagles in the final game of the NFL season.
The Chiefs are chasing an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl crown while the Eagles are eyeing a second NFL title overall.
How were the Super Bowl teams decided?
Fourteen teams competed in the NFL playoffs, seven from each conference.
The four division champions from the National Football Conference (NFC) and the four from the American Football Conference (AFC) as well as six wild-card teams competed in a single-elimination tournament. The wild-card teams were the three non-division winners with the best records in each conference.
The final four played in the AFC and NFC championship games on January 26, and the winners made it into the Super Bowl.
Kansas City advanced with a 32-29 win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game while Philadelphia beat the Washington Commanders 55-23 in the NFC Championship Game.
When will the Super Bowl be played?
The Super Bowl is scheduled to take place on Sunday starting at 5:30pm in New Orleans (23:30 GMT).
This highly anticipated event on the American sports calendar draws not just football fans but also those interested in the halftime show and the most expensive advertisements to air on US television.
The 2024 Super Bowl drew an estimated 210 million viewers.
Where is the 59th Super Bowl being held?
The NFL championship game will take place at Caesars Superdome, home to the New Orleans Saints. It has a capacity of 83,000 spectators.
This marks the 11th time New Orleans has hosted the event.
When Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005, the stadium in downtown New Orleans provided shelter for thousands of residents.
Who are the superstar players to watch on each team?
Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs):
Mahomes is the quarterback for Kansas City, leading the Chiefs to a 15-2 win-loss record in the current NFL season.
The 29-year-old is one of five quarterbacks in NFL history to win three or more Super Bowls as a starter.
Mahomes is widely considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
Saquon Barkley (Eagles):
Barkley, who was Philadelphia’s major offseason signing, has put together one of the best statistical seasons for a running back.
His historic season included becoming only the ninth player to reach 2,000 rushing yards (1,829 metres) and finished just 100 yards (91 metres) shy of Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record (2,105 yards, or 1,925 metres).
Barkley, 27, needs just 30 yards (27 metres) to surpass Terrell Davis for most rushing yards (2,476, or 2,264 metres) in a single season, including the playoffs.
Where can you watch the 2025 Super Bowl?
Fox Sports in the US will broadcast the Super Bowl, and it will also stream on Fubo TV.
Outside the US, you can watch the game with subscriptions from Dazn and other services.
Al Jazeera Sport will have all the pre-match updates, live match text commentary and photos of Super Bowl LIX on Sunday from 19:30 GMT.
Who is performing in the Super Bowl halftime show?
The halftime show, a 12- to 15-minute musical extravaganza and one of the most coveted slots on the US music calendar, will feature Grammy-winning hip hop artist Kendrick Lamar.
Lamar is the first solo rapper to headline the halftime show.
The 37-year-old from Compton, the heart of the Los Angeles rap scene, has 17 Grammy wins and performed during the Super Bowl halftime show in 2022 along with Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Mary J Blige.
Past Super Bowl halftime performers have included The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney and Beyonce. Last year’s performance featured Grammy-winning artist Usher.
How much do Super Bowl tickets cost?
Super Bowl tickets are among the most coveted in all of sport, notoriously hard to find, and their prices are impacted by the game’s location and which teams are playing.
According to ticket marketplace TickPick, the cheapest get-in price for Super Bowl LIX is about $6,600 while the average ticket price is $9,500.
The two Super Bowl teams split 35 percent of the tickets. The host team receives 5 percent and the remaining 29 NFL teams each get about 1 percent and hold lotteries among their season-ticket holders.
The NFL retains 25 percent of the tickets for the media and business and community partners. The league also gives away 500 tickets.
Will Taylor Swift make an appearance?
The popstar’s boyfriend Travis Kelce plays for Kansas City, making Swift’s appearance at the Super Bowl highly probable.
Last year, she missed out on watching Kelce and the Chiefs’ victory at Super Bowl LVIII due to touring commitments in Japan.
The “Taylor Swift effect” has been widely credited with introducing the NFL to millions more fans around the world due to her global profile.
How much does it cost to advertise during the Super Bowl?
The Super Bowl is among the world’s most coveted televised events for advertisers, given its huge guaranteed audience, and a premium is placed on creativity because Super Bowl commercials can generate outsized buzz.
For the 2025 Super Bowl, several 30-second commercial spots to be broadcast on Fox have been sold for a record amount of $8m, according to multiple reports.
What is the name of the Super Bowl trophy?
The Vince Lombardi Trophy awarded to the Super Bowl winner each year is named in honour of NFL Hall of Fame coach Lombardi, who led the Green Bay Packers to victories in the first two Super Bowl games.
Which team is the favourite to win?
The Kansas City Chiefs.
According to betting odds, the threepeat-seeking Chiefs are 1.5-point favourites in their rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles.
