The Super Bowl is no longer just the championship game of the highest-rated sports event in America. For 60 years, this flagship event of the National Football League (NFL) has become an integral part of American culture, with its spectacular halftime shows and popular commercials, attracting millions of viewers worldwide.
Last year, 62 million viewers from around the world joined 102.3 million Americans in watching the televised game. This year's Super Bowl, held on February 9th in New Orleans, featuring the defending champions Kansas City Chiefs against the Philadelphia Eagles, may exceed these numbers.
President Trump announced on February 4th that he plans to attend the game, becoming the first sitting president to do so. Although he refrained from picking a winner, he seemed to favor Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs' quarterback aiming for a third consecutive Super Bowl win. President Trump said, "I don't want to say too much, but there's a quarterback who looks very likely to be the big winner."
This game marks a rematch of these two teams in the Super Bowl two years ago. Indeed, led by superstar Mahomes, the Chiefs are vying for an unprecedented fourth consecutive Super Bowl victory. (Two years ago, the Chiefs defeated the Eagles and beat the San Francisco 49ers in the 2024 Super Bowl.)
This Sunday, the game will be broadcast in 20 languages by sports commentators in 180 countries. According to a recent survey by data analytics firm Kantar, 69% of Canadians and 49% of Britons say they watch the Super Bowl at least occasionally.
The global popularity of American football is due to the NFL's efforts to attract international viewers and players. The league held its first regular-season game abroad in 2005, when the Arizona Cardinals played the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City.
Since then, the NFL has held 50 regular-season games in other countries, including Canada, England, and Germany. The Eagles played a game in Brazil at the start of the 2024 regular season.
In October 2024, the Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the New England Patriots in front of 86,000 European fans at Wembley Stadium in London. The Miami Dolphins will play the league's first game in Spain during the upcoming 2025-2026 season.
