Everything you need to know about Super Bowl LIX

The big day has finally arrived: the king game of the star-studded sports landscape, the highly anticipated Super Bowl LIX night, is coming to New Orleans, Louisiana. This year's two contenders for the Vince Lombardi Trophy, i.e. the title of NFL champion, are the Kansas City Chiefs, seeking a historic “triple win,” and the Philadelphia Eagles, looking for redemption after losing in 2023. But tonight's showdown at Caesars Superdome, home of the New Orleans Saints, is just one part of a phenomenon that goes far beyond sport.

Hundreds of millions of people from all corners of the globe, advertising in dizzying quantities, celebrities in the stands, the half-time show, links to the world of fashion and music, an entire nation standing still for a few hours. The Super Bowl is all of these things: a total and increasingly global event, a money-making machine that is unrivalled in sports entertainment and can generate billions in business.

The Super Bowl empire

In the USA, the Super Bowl is the most-watched television event of the year, with over 100 million viewers and peak ratings of over 120 million. Numbers that dwarf any competitor, including the NBA Finals (NBA) and the World Series (MLB). All of this inevitably makes the event an advertising hub that is as productive as it is exclusive. The price at which the 30-second ad slots were sold broke through the $8 million barrier this year - a figure that illustrates how the evening has evolved over time into something of an “advertising festival", with companies competing for memorable ad spots. Commercials have been an integral part of the event since the 1980s, with huge productions and outlandish testimonials.

While the Super Bowl is an institution in the US, it is still a phenomenon with huge growth opportunities in the rest of the world. In 2024, global viewership reached 62.5 million, with record growth in Mexico (24.1 million viewers), Canada (18.8 million, up 16 per cent year-on-year), the UK, Germany, Australia and China (all with double-digit growth rates between 2023 and 2024). This is no coincidence: the NFL is investing heavily in the global expansion of its product, as demonstrated by the games in London and Munich and soon also in Spain and Brazil. The goal? To turn the league into a truly global phenomenon, following in the footsteps of the NBA and Formula 1.

A bridge between the worlds

Between games, there will be no shortage of shots from the stands and close-ups of the many celebrities in attendance. For the first time in history, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, will also be in the stands, in addition to the usual red carpet where Lionel Messi, Taylor Swift, Kanye West and Travis Scott, among others, are expected to be in attendance.

However, Kendrick Lamar, who was already there in 2022 and will be accompanied by SZA this time, will perform again during the interval. With or without him, the Halftime Show is now an event within the event, a unique case where the game intermission draws a similar (if not greater) audience interest as the game itself. For the occasion, Lamar has prepared a 13-minute setlist, and in Las Vegas you can even bet on the songs played, as well as the rapper's chosen outfit and whether he will take the stage with a bonnet over his head (in addition to many other odds offered by American bookmakers that will make you smile, which we will come back to).

As well as the links to pop culture and the world of music, the links to the fashion universe are also deepening. The Super Bowl is not only a major social event, but also a brand and a style icon. This year, for the first time, the NFL has teamed up with Roc Nation to create an exclusive merchandise collection, while Veronica Beard has released customised jackets for the teams involved.

In this context, it is not surprising that the looks of the celebrities are followed with almost obsessive attention. For example, Taylor Swift, the partner of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, ensured that the team's vintage outfits went viral, helping to turn the evening into a catwalk for brands such as Chanel and Louis Vuitton. Usher also made a name for himself in this regard last year when he performed at OFF-WHITE.

Official merchandising in particular is generating record figures: Estimates of the latest editions speak of sales of more than 3 billion dollars, with impressive peaks in the two hours after the game. In which the fans of the winning franchise epitomise the consumer dimension more than ever.

A cultural phenomenon

And then there's the whole shebang. “Super Bowl parties” - watching the game together (at home or in public spaces) - are a tradition involving millions of Americans, and this provides us with some data that borders on the improbable. In 2024, for example, 1.42 billion chicken wings were consumed and 50 million cases of beer were sold, with record revenues for fast food chains like Domino's, McDonald's and Taco Bell. Watching the game with friends and other fans has become a custom almost everywhere in the US. The event brings together an audience that goes far beyond the American football fan community, as it is a mass cultural event.

Finally, for those who want to be entertained in an unusual way, Las Vegas offers betting of all kinds. Believe it or not, you can bet on the length of the national anthem, the colour of the Gatorade that will be poured on the winning coach, whether Jason Kelce will propose to Taylor Swift after the game, the exact temperature at kickoff and just about anything bizarre you can think of. In the end, Super Bowl night is worth it all, right?