The Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers prepare for Super Bowl LVIII

The Kansas City Chiefs, champions of the American Football Conference (AFC), and the San Francisco 49ers, winners of the National Football Conference (NFC), have arrived in Las Vegas to play Super Bowl LVIII. This edition will be played at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, where more than 65,000 people will attend the game live to see the spectacle surrounding one of the biggest sporting events of the year. Hundreds of millions of spectators around the world will follow it on TV or streaming.

Each of the teams posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) of their players landing in Las Vegas. Led by Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs have every hope of lifting their fourth Vince Lombardi Trophy, a title they earned last year in Super Bowl LVII and in editions LIV and IV.

If they win, the Chiefs would be the eighth franchise in history to win back-to-back Super Bowls. Previously, the Green Bay Packers (Super Bowl I and II), the Miami Dolphins (VII and VIII), the Pittsburgh Steelers (IX and X; XIII and XIV), the San Francisco 49ers (XXIII and XXIV), the Dallas Cowboys (XXVII and XXVIII), the Denver Broncos (XXXII and XXXIII) and, finally, the New England Patriots (XXXVIII and XXIX).

Under the leadership of Brock Purdy, the 49ers aspire to be crowned Super Bowl champions again, a title that they have not won since the XXIX edition, when they defeated the San Diego Chargers 49-26.

The 49ers have more Vince Lombardi trophies than their rivals on Sunday. In total, San Francisco has won five titles (XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV and XXIX).

The 49ers want revenge

On Feb. 2, 2020, the Chiefs and 49ers faced off in Super Bowl LIV, a game that was played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Kansas City opened as favorites and lived up to expectations: they defeated San Francisco 31-20. On that occasion, Patrick Mahomes was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) after completing 26 of 42 pass attempts for 286 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.

Four years later, the 49ers have the opportunity to get revenge. They open as slight favorites, and are considered the team with the most top-to-bottom talent in the league.

The 'other' Super Bowl

The Super Bowl has two faces. There is the game itself, in which each team seeks to be crowned champion. It is one of the largest sporting events on Earth, bringing together millions of viewers not only in the United States, but also in the rest of the world. On the other hand, there is all the media surrounding the Super Bowl: the pre-game and halftime performances by artists, the exclusive TV commercials and the trailers for new movies and series that air during the game. Fans will also be attentive to the personalities who will come to Allegiant Stadium to watch the game, with Taylor Swift expected to attend to see her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

The halftime show will be headlined by Usher, while, before the game, Post Malone and Andra Day will perform. The National Anthem will be performed by country singer Reba McEntire. Dutch DJ Tiesto will also liven up the evening.

On the other hand, large production companies such as Disney and Paramount are expected to debut previews of their new films.