Chiefs eyeing history while Eagles want revenge - Super Bowl preview

Super Bowl 59

Date: Sunday, 9 February Kick-off: 23:30 GMT

BBC coverage: Live text coverage on the BBC Sport website and app, and live radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds, plus post-game video highlights

The confetti was still falling after the Kansas City Chiefs defended their NFL title when Patrick Mahomes turned to a team-mate.

"We're not done, dog," said the Chiefs quarterback. "I want three, no-one's ever got three. I want back to back to back."

A year later, they are on the brink of doing just that as Mahomes has led the Chiefs back to the NFL's championship game.

If they win in New Orleans on Sunday they will become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls.

Their date with destiny is against the Philadelphia Eagles, the team they beat to begin their Super Bowl trilogy two years ago.

And some of the world's biggest celebrities are heading to arguably the greatest Super Bowl city - as well as Donald Trump, who will become the first sitting US president to attend America's biggest sport event.

Has a Super Bowl three-peat been achieved before?

Just getting this far is already historic. No previous back-to-back champion has made it to the Super Bowl the following season.

Many neutrals hoped the Buffalo Bills, led by this season's Most Valuable Player Josh Allen, would make it to Super Bowl 59.

But the Chiefs beat them 32-29 in the AFC Conference Championship and as they clinched victory, the team's play-by-play announcer Mitch Holthus said the Chiefs had "gone past Pluto".

"To get to this point, to go further than any team has ever been, it transcends the NFL and becomes part of world sport history," he told BBC Sport.

"But to win this game, I think it would be an achievement that would never be done again."

This is Kansas City's fifth Super Bowl in six years and they are going for a fourth win.

Many neutrals are bored of seeing them win; some have even claimed they receive preferential treatment from officials.

When hosting the NFL's annual awards on Thursday, rapper Snoop Dogg even joked that Sunday's game will be an "incredible match-up between the Eagles... and the refs".

But Holthus dismissed that as a "false narrative" and this week NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said it was "ridiculous", while Mahomes is happy to keep being "a villain".

Who are favourites to lift Vince Lombardi Trophy?

The traditional pre-game 'rooting map' suggests that most of America wants Philadelphia to win, but speaking to neutrals in New Orleans, it seems a 50-50 split.

The Eagles will play in their third Super Bowl in eight years, claiming their first Super Bowl win in 2018 before losing 38-35 to Kansas City in 2023.

This time round, the Chiefs are slight favourites, but many of those backing 'the Birds' want to see Saquon Barkley cap a scintillating season in style.

Philly's running back needs just 30 yards to break the all-time record for most rushing yards in a season, including play-offs - 2,476.

Others want to see quarterback Jalen Hurts win after being unfortunate to miss out not just on Super Bowl glory two years ago, but also the season MVP and Super Bowl MVP awards.

Super Bowl 57 was also known as the 'Kelce Bowl' as it was the first to feature brothers on opposing teams - Jason and Travis Kelce.

Jason retired with Philadelphia in 2024 and is now a high-profile TV host/analyst while Travis remains a key man for Kansas City and is now more famous for being Taylor Swift's boyfriend.

Will Taylor Swift be at the Super Bowl?

The build-up to last year's Super Bowl was dominated by speculation over whether Swift would make it to Las Vegas in time as she was performing in Tokyo the night before. She did, and saw Kansas City beat the San Francisco 49ers in overtime.

This time there is little doubt over her presence, while former first lady Jill Biden – a lifelong Philly fan – is also expected to be there.

Swift watched last year's game with Blake Lively and her boyfriend's brother Jason, who was wearing Kansas City dungarees - but this year he is backing his former team as his wife Kylie is a diehard Eagles fan.

Bradley Cooper and Rob McElhenney have watched games with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, while other Philly fans include Will Smith, Kevin Hart and Tina Fey.

Kansas City fans Sheryl Crow and Paul Rudd were at Super Bowl 58, while Brad Pitt and Jason Sudeikis are also Chiefs fans.

Other celebrities there last year included Elon Musk, Justin Bieber, Leonardo DiCaprio, Paul McCartney, Beyonce, Jay Z, LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal.

• Listen - Sportshour at Super Bowl 59: New Orleans Edition

Is New Orleans the greatest Super Bowl city?

Former NBA star O'Neal has thrown his own party before each Super Bowl since 2018, but New Orleanians need little help in having a good time.

The Louisiana city is nicknamed the Big Easy for its laidback, party atmosphere, and it is no exaggeration to say the streets are filled with music, from jazz bands playing in the bars and cafes of the French Quarter or buskers and piano players on street corners.

The Super Bowl takes place at the start of the Mardi Gras parade season and the city is also famed for Cajun and Creole cuisine, with alligator sausages and oysters among the local favourites on the stadium's gameday menu.

Southern hospitality is another reason NFL fans love coming back to N'awlins - as the locals call it – with this the 11th Super Bowl to be played here, tying the record with Miami.

It is a compact, walkable city. You can get from Bourbon Street to the stadium in just 20 minutes, so it is easy to see why many see New Orleans as the greatest Super Bowl city.

• Watch - Super Bowl 59 preview: Chiefs three-peat or Eagles revenge?

Where is the Super Bowl and what is the stadium capacity?

The Superdome has staged the Super Bowl more times than any other stadium, with this its eighth overall although first since 2013.

It has a capacity of about 75,000, has undergone a renovation costing $560m (£460m), and is air-conditioned - which will be welcome as the temperature is forecast to pass 25C on Sunday.

The city was rocked by the New Year's terror attack, which killed 14 people. Security has since been bolstered - even more so after it was confirmed this week that President Trump will attend - so organisers say the Superdome will be "the safest place to be".

The gates will open at 13:30 local time – four hours before kick-off – with fans encouraged to arrive early and enjoy the pre-game entertainment, which includes a tailgate concert headlined by Post Malone.

Who is performing the Super Bowl half-time show?

The half-time show will be headlined by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, who won five Grammys last Sunday for his hit Not Like Us.

Drake has filed a defamation lawsuit over the diss track and Lamar did not confirm this week whether it will be censored.

There has also been speculation over whether Swift will make a guest appearance as Lamar sang on her 2015 hit Bad Blood, but so far SZA is the only confirmed guest.

Fox is broadcasting this year's Super Bowl, which means Tom Brady will end his first season as a TV analyst with his first Super Bowl broadcast.

Even if the Chiefs win, Mahomes would still be three short of Brady's record of seven Super Bowl wins, but 'the GOAT' would be commentating on something even he never achieved – a Super Bowl three-peat.

How to follow the Super Bowl on the BBC

The BBC will bring you live text coverage of Super Bowl 59 on Sunday via the BBC Sport website and app.

You can listen to live radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds from 23:00 GMT, and you can watch post-game video highlights on the BBC website.