Super Bowl LXI is the 61st edition of the National Football League’s championship game, scheduled for Sunday 14 February 2027 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The game is the first Super Bowl ever held on Valentine’s Day and the first played on Presidents’ Day weekend, with the Monday public holiday offering American fans a built-in recovery day. It is also the second Super Bowl hosted at SoFi Stadium, after Super Bowl LVI in February 2022, and the ninth Super Bowl staged in the Greater Los Angeles region.
What is the Super Bowl?
The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League, the top professional American football league in the United States. It decides the NFL champion for the season and sits at the end of a month-long playoff bracket featuring 14 teams split across the American Football Conference (AFC) and National Football Conference (NFC). The winner of the AFC Championship Game and the winner of the NFC Championship Game meet in a neutral-site Super Bowl, with the host venue selected years in advance.
First contested in January 1967, the Super Bowl has grown into the most-watched annual sporting event in the United States and one of the biggest global sports broadcasts of the year. It routinely attracts more than 100 million domestic viewers in the US, with global reach extending to more than 130 countries. The game is accompanied by a high-profile halftime show, elaborate commercials that have become advertising landmarks in their own right, and week-long media coverage built around Super Bowl Week.
How Super Bowl LXI Works
Super Bowl LXI is played under regular NFL rules with modified timing. Four 15-minute quarters are separated by a short break after the first and third quarters and an extended halftime show after the second. If the game is tied at the end of regulation, overtime rules specifically written for the Super Bowl apply, with both teams now guaranteed at least one offensive possession. The game clock is supplemented by a 40-second play clock. The winning team receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy, and one player is named Super Bowl Most Valuable Player.
When is Super Bowl LXI?
Super Bowl LXI kicks off on Sunday 14 February 2027. The scheduled kick-off time is 6:30pm Eastern / 3:30pm Pacific, which converts to 11:30pm GMT (UK), 8:30am Monday 15 February in Sydney (AEDT), 7:30am Monday in Tokyo, 12:30am Monday in central Europe and 5:30pm local Mountain Time in Denver. The pre-game build up runs across the full day on American television, with the pre-match show starting several hours ahead of kick-off.
Super Bowl LXI is the latest Super Bowl date on record, because the NFL expanded its regular season to 18 games for the 2026 season, pushing each phase of the calendar one week later. It is also the first Super Bowl to fall on Valentine’s Day and the first to be played on Presidents’ Day weekend, with the federal holiday on Monday 15 February giving the United States a rare post-Super Bowl day off.
Where is Super Bowl LXI?
SoFi Stadium sits in Inglewood, California, just south of Los Angeles International Airport and close to the border with South Los Angeles. It opened in September 2020 at a reported cost of more than 5 billion US dollars and is the shared home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. The stadium has a capacity of around 70,000 that can be expanded to over 100,000 for marquee events such as the Super Bowl, making it one of the largest venues in the NFL.
SoFi Stadium is distinctive for its translucent ETFE roof that keeps out direct sunlight while allowing natural light through, its oval-shaped Infinity Screen (a double-sided 4K video board weighing more than 2 million pounds that hangs above the playing surface), and its position within the wider Hollywood Park development. Beyond the Super Bowl, the stadium is scheduled to host events at the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles and was one of the venues for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Key Contenders
The Super Bowl LXI contenders emerge from the two 17-week conference races and the January playoff bracket. In recent seasons the Kansas City Chiefs, led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid, have been the dominant AFC force, reaching multiple Super Bowls and winning Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. The Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens have also been among the leading contenders of the current era.
On the NFC side, the Eagles have been a model of consistency under Jalen Hurts, the Lions have built one of the league’s most exciting rosters around Jared Goff and Ben Johnson’s offence, and the 49ers remain dangerous whenever healthy. The Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals headline the AFC challengers, with the Houston Texans and Chargers among the rising contenders. Super Bowl LXI features two teams whose paths to the championship game are shaped by an 18-game regular season for the first time.
Historically, the Super Bowl has produced unexpected champions as often as favourites, from the Eagles’ first title in Super Bowl LII to the Kansas City Chiefs’ comeback in Super Bowl LIV. Betting markets traditionally open with a modest spread even for the most in-form teams, reflecting the unpredictability of a single-game championship.
How to Watch
In the United States, Super Bowl LXI is carried simultaneously on ESPN and ABC, marking a new era for the game’s broadcast rights. It is the first Super Bowl simulcast across the two sister networks, the first Super Bowl on ABC since Super Bowl XL in February 2006 and the first Super Bowl ever broadcast on ESPN. ESPN Deportes provides Spanish-language coverage in the United States, while Telemundo or Univision distribute separate Spanish-language feeds depending on rights that year. NFL Game Pass streams the game internationally, and local market radio is carried on Westwood One.
In the United Kingdom, the Super Bowl is broadcast live on ITV1 and STV free-to-air, making it one of the most accessible nights of American football coverage of the year, alongside subscription coverage via Sky Sports NFL. In Canada, CTV holds the rights, while TSN and RDS provide English and French coverage respectively. Germany’s ProSieben and RTL have traditionally shared rights, with DAZN offering streaming. In Australia and New Zealand, ESPN (on Disney+ and Kayo Sports) carries the game.
Across Asia, NFL Game Pass International is the primary option for most territories, with DAZN Japan providing coverage in Japan. Latin American audiences watch via ESPN and Star+, and in the Middle East and North Africa, beIN Sports carries the broadcast. Radio coverage in the UK is available on BBC Radio 5 Live, and Westwood One’s international radio feed is carried by Armed Forces Radio and digital partners worldwide.
History and Records
The Super Bowl was first played on 15 January 1967 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, with the Green Bay Packers beating the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10. The Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots share the record for most Super Bowl wins with six each, followed by the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys with five. Tom Brady holds the individual record with seven Super Bowl wins and five Super Bowl MVP awards across his career with the Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The most-watched Super Bowl in history was Super Bowl LVIII in February 2024, averaging more than 123 million US viewers when the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in overtime. Patrick Mahomes has already matched Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw and Troy Aikman on career Super Bowl wins and remains the centrepiece of the league’s current narrative. The Greater Los Angeles area has hosted more Super Bowls than any other region, with the previous SoFi Stadium game, Super Bowl LVI, producing a memorable Rams home victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Iconic Super Bowl moments run through NFL history: Joe Namath’s guarantee and delivery in Super Bowl III, the Chicago Bears’ 46-10 thrashing of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX, David Tyree’s helmet catch in Super Bowl XLII, the Malcolm Butler interception that won Super Bowl XLIX, the Falcons’ collapse against New England in Super Bowl LI, and Mahomes’ comeback with Kansas City in Super Bowl LIV. Super Bowl LXI adds another chapter to this history on an unprecedented Valentine’s Day date.
Tickets and Attendance
Super Bowl tickets are distributed through a combination of participating teams (17.5 per cent each), the host team and stadium, the NFL’s own allocation and On Location, the league’s official hospitality and fan experience partner. Face value for Super Bowl LXI starts in the low thousands of US dollars and rises sharply, with premium seats and hospitality packages reaching 20,000 US dollars or more per person. The secondary market on StubHub, SeatGeek, Ticketmaster and Vivid Seats tends to be volatile in the week leading up to the game.
On Location offers hospitality options ranging from pregame parties and stadium club packages to multi-night travel bundles that include accommodation, flights and tickets. Fans without a ticket can attend Super Bowl LXI week activities in Los Angeles, including NFL Experience (an interactive fan event open to the public across the week), the NFL Honors awards ceremony, the Commissioner’s Press Conference and numerous private parties around the city. Inglewood, Los Angeles and the broader Southern California region typically hosts large crowds of fans even without matchday tickets.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Super Bowl LXI start?
Sunday 14 February 2027, with scheduled kick-off at 6:30pm Eastern Time (11:30pm GMT in the UK).
Where is Super Bowl LXI being held?
SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, part of the Greater Los Angeles region.
How can I watch Super Bowl LXI?
In the United States, simulcast on ESPN and ABC, with Spanish-language coverage on ESPN Deportes. In the United Kingdom, live on ITV1 and Sky Sports NFL. In Australia on ESPN via Disney+ and Kayo Sports. Internationally via NFL Game Pass.
Who won the last Super Bowl?
The defending Super Bowl LX champion, decided in February 2026, enters 2026-27 as holder of the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Why is Super Bowl LXI played on Valentine’s Day?
Super Bowl LXI is the latest Super Bowl date on record because the NFL expanded the regular season to 18 games for 2026, pushing the entire schedule back by a week. It is the first Super Bowl to fall on 14 February and the first played on Presidents’ Day weekend.