Will Taylor Swift Perform at Super Bowl 2026?
- - Will Taylor Swift Perform at Super Bowl 2026?
Maggie EkbergAugust 17, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Photo by Kevin Mazur/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
Will Taylor Swift Perform at Super Bowl 2026? originally appeared on Parade.
Super Bowl LX is set for February 8, 2026 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, and there’s one question running wild online: is Taylor Swift headlining the halftime show?
The NFL hasn’t announced a performer yet, but Swifties have been connecting dots ever since she launched her Life of a Showgirl era on Tuesday, August 12. From midnight drop timings to sly podcast nods, fans say the clues point straight to the gridiron.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by New Heights (@newheightshow)
Of course, skeptics remember Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, when Swift—there to support her boyfriend Travis Kelce—drew a mix of cheers and boos after popping up on the jumbotron. That moment led some to believe she’d steer clear of the NFL spotlight. But now, with a brand-new album, record-breaking buzz, and her very public love of football, the speculation is back louder than ever.
🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬
So does the 35-year-old pop superstar really have her eyes on the biggest stage in sports—or is it just another fan theory taking flight? Here’s what’s confirmed, what’s pure rumor, and why all eyes are on the 2026 halftime reveal.
When and Where Is Super Bowl 2026—and Who Picks the Halftime Show?
Super Bowl LX will take place on February 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It’s the second time the Bay Area venue has hosted the game (the first was Super Bowl 50 in 2016) and NBC will carry the broadcast with streaming on Peacock. That’s the only official detail we have so far—everything else is speculation.
But who chooses the halftime performance?
Since 2019, that decision has largely rested with Jay-Z, whose company Roc Nation signed on as the NFL’s live music entertainment partner. “It’s a decision that Jay makes,” Jesse Collins, an Emmy-winning producer who has overseen the halftime show since Super Bowl LV, told Variety in 2024. “Since we’ve been on board with that show, he’s made it every year, and it’s been amazing. He’s always picked right.”
🎤 SIGN UP for our The Voice newsletter to get access to exclusive news, interviews, insider info, sneak peeks & more 🎤
For the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans, Jay-Z (real name Shawn Carter) tapped Kendrick Lamar to headline the halftime show, calling him “a once-in-a-generation artist.” The 38-year-old Pulitzer Prize–winning rapper earned high praise for his set, which included a performance of “Not Like Us,” the chart-topping track aimed at Drake.
“I wanna perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue” - Kendrick Lamar as Not Like Us played in the background of his Super Bowl Halftime performance. pic.twitter.com/ydjmVS09PY
— 🏁 (@concertleaks) February 10, 2025
Meanwhile, Lil Wayne, a New Orleans native and fan favorite for the spot, posted on Instagram that being passed over “hurt a whole lot.”
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Lil Wayne (@liltunechi)
Which Showgirl Album Clues and Easter Eggs Are Fans Tying to Super Bowl LX?
So, if Jay-Z decides who plays the show, what makes people think Swift is on that shortlist? It all starts with the rollout of her new album The Life of a Showgirl, and Swifties are certain she’s left clues that line up—suspiciously well—with the Super Bowl 2026 stage.
And, baby, that’s show business for you. New album The Life of a Showgirl. Out October 3 ❤️🔥https://t.co/rIaG2Ezo7ZAlbum Producers: Max Martin, Shellback and Taylor Swift📸: Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott pic.twitter.com/QRzLbLpnUS
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) August 13, 2025
First came the timing. Swift announced the album at exactly 12:12 a.m. on August 12, and fans immediately linked the “12:12” drop to Super Bowl LX—the league’s 60th championship game. Number symbolism has always been part of her playbook, so this felt intentional to those who track her every move.
Then came the location clue. On the New Heights podcast with Travis and Jason Kelce, Swift casually referenced “47 seconds.” Her fans quickly pointed out that her 47th stop on the Eras Tour was Levi’s Stadium—the very stadium hosting Super Bowl 2026. Whether coincidence or calculated, it added fuel to the theory.
And then there was the bread. Swift joked that all her hobbies could be “categorized as, like, hobbies you could have had in the 1700s,” listing sewing, painting, and a “very deep” sourdough obsession.
🚨| Taylor Swift reveals on New Heights that she stalks sourdough bread online"I'm on your blog" pic.twitter.com/CZoRPbUma3
— The Eras Tour (@tswifterastour) August 13, 2025
“I’m really talking about bread 60 percent of the time now,” she confessed, before swapping favorite flavors with the 35-year-old Kansas City Chiefs tight end. (His pick? Blueberry lemon loaf.) That might’ve passed as classic Taylor randomness—until fans remembered that the San Francisco 49ers, who play at Levi’s Stadium, have a mascot named Sourdough Sam.
Taylor Swift is most likely going to do the Super Bowl LX Half Time Show.On the New Heights Podcast she talks about baking sourdough and thinking about it 60% of the time. Super Bowl 60 is in San Francisco, home of the 49ers.Their Mascot? Sourdough Sam. pic.twitter.com/PMGoJsnmIr
— Jimmy Randazzo (@JimmyRandazzo) August 15, 2025
Swift herself has explained why fans search so hard for meaning in moments like this. In a 2019 Entertainment Weekly interview, she said, “I love that they like the cryptic hint-dropping. Because as long as they like it, I’ll keep doing it. It’s fun. It feels mischievous and playful.” During her recent New Heights appearance, she clarified that her Easter eggs are usually “about the music” and not tied to her personal life. But for fans, the Super Bowl sits somewhere in between—and that’s exactly what makes it feel possible.
When Do Halftime Headliners Usually Get Announced?
If there’s one thing the NFL and Roc Nation have been consistent about, it’s timing. In the Apple Music era, halftime headliners almost always get unveiled in September—just as the football season kicks off and the league wants extra hype.
🌹 SIGN UP for our The Bachelor newsletter to stay up to date on the latest Bachelor Nation news, exclusive interviews, episode recaps & more 🌹
Take the past few years: Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX set was confirmed on September 8, 2024, before he hit the stage in New Orleans this past February. The year before, Usher was locked in for Super Bowl LVIII with a September 24, 2023 announcement. Rihanna’s Super Bowl LVII headliner slot was revealed on September 25, 2022. And the blockbuster Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Lamar lineup was unveiled on September 30, 2021. Go back a little further, and Shakira and Jennifer Lopez were named LIV co-headliners on September 26, 2019. (The Weeknd, for Super Bowl LV in 2021, was a rare outlier—his halftime show was announced later, in November 2020.)
The pattern is clear: late August through September is the window. If Super Bowl LX sticks to form, fans can expect the 2026 headliner to be revealed as summer winds down. Until then, all anyone can do is speculate—and for Swifties, that speculation is running wild.
Will Taylor Swift Perform at Super Bowl 2026? first appeared on Parade on Aug 16, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
