How to watch the Super Bowl and who is performing in the halftime show

NFL fans in the US and across the world have circled Sunday in their diary with the 56th Super Bowl set to kick off.

Known as much for its pomp and ceremony as it is for the game itself, the Super Bowl typically brings hardcore supporters together with casual viewers.

Here’s what you need to know and how you can tune in from the UK.

What is the Super Bowl?

Over a period of 18 weeks, 32 teams across the States compete in a league to qualify for the play-offs – which pits the 14 best teams of the season against each other in a knockout format.

This is then whittled down to two, who face off in one final match – the Super Bowl – to determine the year’s champion.

This year, the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinatti Bengals will play in the Rams' home stadium in southern California.

Can I watch it in the UK?

Yes, the game will be shown in Sky Sports but viewers can also pay 99p to watch the game on NFL Gamepass.

Should you choose to tune in, you will be one of tens of millions. Last year’s match was played to a global audience of around 90 million.

While these are huge numbers, it still pales in comparison with the World Cup Final, which was believed to have been watched by more than a billion people in 2018 with an average audience of 517 million.

What time does it kick off and how long will it be?

The match is set to start at 11.30pm UK time, but judging how long it will last is hard to predict but you can expect it to last around four hours.

While there is an hour of match action, American Football is highly stop-start, with several time-outs taken by each team, breaks after each quarter and plenty of commercial breaks.

There is also the chance of heading to added time – called overtime – if the sides can’t be separated over the hour of play.

What’s the halftime show about?

And another major reason for the Super Bowl’s length is its famous halftime show, with half an hour dedicated to entertaining viewers with performances from some of the biggest names in music.

It is one of the most coveted slots in music and this year will feature Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J Blige and Kendrick Lamar.

It will be a home performance for Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and Lamar, who are all from Southern California.

Dr Dre says the show will “open more doors” and inspire young hip-hop artists.

The former NWA co-founder promised the highly anticipated show would be “f****** incredible.”

Why are adverts such a big deal?

The Super Bowl is just as famous for its adverts as it is for its halftime show.

With so many eyeballs on the same thing, advertisers see it as an invaluable marketing opportunity.

And the Super Bowl’s sales teams have certainly acknowledged this, with a 30-second ad slot reported to cost around £4.8 million.

This year’s advertisers include cryptocurrency companies and electric vehicles – and many are likely to include some famous faces.

General Motors orchestrated an Austin Powers reunion to showcase their electric cars.

And what about the game itself?

The Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams match-up came as a surprise to many.

The Bengals will play only the third Super Bowl in their history and first since the 1988 season.

That came when head coach Zac Taylor was five years old, while prior to this season they had not even won a play-off game since January 1991 – almost six years before quarterback Joe Burrow was born.

The Rams won Super Bowl XXXIV (34) after the 1999 season, when they were based in St Louis, and have since finished as runners-up to the New England Patriots after the 2001 and 2018 seasons. This will be their fifth Super Bowl appearance in all.

They follow last season’s champions the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the second team in successive years to play a Super Bowl on their home ground, a feat which had never previously been achieved. The Bengals, though, are Sunday’s designated home team.