Super Bowl 2021: Everything you need to know about the game, the halftime show and the commercials
A view of the pirate ship Jose Gasparilla ahead of Super Bowl LV on February 1, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
When and where is Super Bowl LV?
Super Bowl 2021 is set for Sunday, Feb. 7 and will be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
What time is the Super Bowl?
The actual kickoff of the game is expected to happen at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Who is playing in the Super Bowl this year?
The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
There has never been a Super Bowl matchup of accomplished quarterbacks quite like the one coming up between Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady, in his first year with the team after leaving the New England Patriots, and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes.
Brady has won a record six Super Bowl titles, four super MVPs and three league MVP awards since becoming starter in New England in 2001. Mahomes is just getting started in his career and already has one league MVP and one Super Bowl MVP to his credit and is back in the title game for the second time.
The starting lineup for the Chiefs will also include wide receiver Tyreek Hill, specialist Mecole Hardman and tight end Travis Kelce.
The starting lineup for the Bucs will include tight end Rob Gronkowski along with wide receivers Antonio Brown, Mike Evans and Scott Miller.
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Who will perform the National Anthem?
R&B star Jazmine Sullivan and country singer Eric Church will join forces to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl, where Grammy-winning singer H.E.R. will perform "America the Beautiful."
Deaf rapper and recording artist Warren "WAWA" Snipe will perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "America the Beautiful" in American Sign Language. Emmy-nominated musical director Adam Blackstone will arrange and produce Church and Sullivan’s rendition of the national anthem.
Sullivan rose to the top of the R&B charts in 2008 with her debut single and album. She’s earned 12 Grammy nominations and written songs for Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson and Monica. Her new album, "Heaux Tales," debuted at No. 4 on the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart.
Church, a 10-time Grammy nominee, released his debut album in 2006 and has topped the country charts with songs like "Drink In My Hand," "Springsteen," "Talladega" and "Record Year." He’s released multiple multiplatinum and platinum albums and was named entertainer of the year at last year’s Country Music Association Awards.
H.E.R. won two Grammys in 2019 and has earned critical acclaim for her live performances, including her work as a guitarist. She’s won honors at the MTV Video Music Awards, BET Awards and Soul Train Music Awards and launched R&B hits such as "Focus," "Best Part," "Slide," "Damage" and "B.S." with Jhené Aiko.
Who will perform in the halftime show?
The Weeknd will bring his popular falsetto vocals to the 2021 Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show.
The three-time Grammy Award winner said he’s humbled by the opportunity.
In 2020, The Weeknd’s hit single "Blinding Lights" became his fifth song to peak at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He also won Grammys for his album "Starboy" and the song "Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)."
Surprise guests have been known to appear during the Super Bowl halftime show. No word on who that might be.
Will there be a flyover?
The Air Force Global Strike Command bombers plan to conduct a flyover during the National Anthem.
"Supporting this event is a tremendous honor for our command and the U.S. Air Force," said Gen. Tim Ray, AFGSC commander, in a news release. "We look forward to this opportunity to showcase the reliability, flexibility and precision of our bomber fleet to the nation during this exciting event."
What channel is the Super Bowl on?
Check your local listings.
How to watch Super Bowl LV:
Health officials advise people not to gather in large groups to watch the Super Bowl because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CDC recommends people to hold a virtual watch party or hold an outdoor party where people can sit at least six feet apart, using a projector to broadcast the game.
Will the Super Bowl be live-streamed?
Check with your cable provider.
How much are Super Bowl tickets?
Super Bowl tickets are on sale. Prices range from $6,000 to more than $15,000 for seating. The stadium will hold limited seating due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
How has COVID-19 affected the Super Bowl?
RELATED: Despite limited attendance, Raymond James Stadium will look crowded Super Bowl Sunday
The NFL decided to limit capacity to 22,000 people and 30,000 fan cutouts at Raymond James Stadium to keep fans socially distant. Also, The Super Bowl Experience will not be hosting in-person NFL Player autograph signings. The league is offering a number of socially-distanced NFL experience zones with theme park-style attractions.
According to the Miami Herald, every fan, guest, employee and player at the stadium will be provided with a KN95 mask, antibacterial wipes and hand sanitizer.
According to USA Today, the NFL doesn’t expect to change COVID-19 protocols specifically for the Super Bowl. Policy already dictates players must isolate if they were in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. If they test negative each day over a five-day isolation period, they can rejoin the team.
If Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes or Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady tests positive for COVID-19, league policy does not state the game must be rescheduled. But if there’s a concern about spread or an outbreak, the game may have to be postponed.
What Super Bowl commercials are airing?
The COVID-19 pandemic and the challenging economy has forced some companies to drop commercials during the big game.
For the first time since 1983, when Anheuser-Busch used all of its ad time to introduce a beer called Bud Light, the beer giant isn’t advertising its iconic Budweiser brand during the Super Bowl. Instead, it’s donating the money it would have spent on the ad to coronavirus vaccination awareness efforts. Anheuser-Busch will still advertise Bud Light.
The Anheuser-Busch move follows a similar announcement from PepsiCo., which won’t be advertising its biggest brand, Pepsi, in order to focus on its sponsorship of the halftime show. (It will be advertising Mountain Dew and Frito-Lay products). Other veteran Super Bowl advertisers like Coke, Audi and Avocados from Mexico are sitting out the game altogether.
Some companies are opting to still buy commercials and have even released them.
-Amazon’s Alexa will feature actor Michael B. Jordan as Alexa.
-Bud Light’s "Legends" will feature singer Post Malone and actor/comedian Cedric the Entertainer as they help an overturned truck get its beer supplies to the store for waiting customers.
-A Cheetos ad will star actors Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher and singer Shaggy.
-A Doritos ad will feature Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey in a 2D version of himself until he eats Doritos 3D.
-A Tide commercial features a hoodie with Jason Alexander’s face printed on it. The actor will vary his facial expression depending on how the hoodie gets dirty before it gets tossed in the washing machine.
-An Uber commercial will feature Mike Myers and Dana Carvey, reprising their characters from the cult-classic movie, "Wayne’s World."
Who won the Super Bowl in 2020?
The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 31 to 20 on Feb. 2, 2020.
Where will the Super Bowl be played next year?
According to FOX Sports, next year’s Super Bowl will take place on Feb. 6 in Los Angeles. In 2023, the big game will be played on Feb. 5 in Glendale, Arizona and will be played on Feb. 3 in New Orleans in 2024.
Why does Super Bowl use roman numerals?
The NFL has been using Roman numerals since Super Bowl V in 1971. According to USA Today, since the Super Bowl is played at the beginning of each year following the fall season of the previous year, the NFL thought it would be easier to label games using roman numerals to avoid confusion.
In 2016, the organization dropped the roman numerals and opted for "Super Bowl 50" believing it was more visually appealing only for that milestone.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. The story was reported from Los Angeles.