(NewsNation) — Is Taylor Swift playing the Super Bowl in 2026? Fans of Swift, or “Swifties,” are convinced she is set to headline the Super Bowl halftime show after dissecting her comments from a recent podcast appearance.
Taylor Swift appeared as a special guest on the “New Heights” podcast hosted by her boyfriend, NFL player Travis Kelce, and his brother Jason Kelce last week, where she announced her upcoming album titled “The Life of a Showgirl.”
Suspicious sourdough
Internet sleuths have thoroughly analyzed the episode and are now speculating that comments made by Swift on the podcast might indicate an upcoming Super Bowl halftime performance, according to the “Today Show.”
A key piece of evidence relates to comments Swift made about her newfound love for baking bread, specifically sourdough.
“I’m really talking about bread 60% of the time now,” Swift said.
The game will be played in the San Francisco 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium, and their mascot is a gold miner known as Sourdough Sam. There is also a connection between the percentage and it being Super Bowl 60.
Swift’s lucky number(s)
Swift’s favorite number is 13, and there are multiple coincidences involving the number.
Four plus 9 equals 13 (49ers). The upcoming NFL season will be Travis Kelce’s thirteenth year in the league, and the podcast episode was released on Aug. 13.
Additionally, Swift thanked Jason Kelce for screaming for a very specific 47 seconds during his intro on the podcast.
The 47th show of Swift’s “Eras Tour” was at Levi’s Stadium. Thirteen plus 47 is 60, the same number mentioned in the initial bread comment.
Demonstrated interest
At one point in the podcast, Swift also mentioned her infatuation with the event, claiming she has watched every Super Bowl halftime show.
In the background of the podcast, there was a statue resembling the Vince Lombardi Super Bowl trophy, positioned on its side. This could symbolize the trophy being halfway and suggest a connection to the halftime show.
Easter eggs nothing new for Taylor Swift
Leaving a trail of cryptic comments for fans to dissect is nothing new for Swift. She has been known to leave trails of clues for her fans to follow in the lead-up to big announcements surrounding her music.
“I love numerology, I love math stuff, I love dates, that stuff I find really fun,” she said of her love for Easter eggs in the recent podcast appearance.
Has Taylor Swift performed at the Super Bowl before?
Though Swift has long held the status of a global superstar, she has never performed at the Super Bowl.
According to The Athletic, Swift has turned down multiple opportunities in the past to perform at the big game. A partnership with Diet Coke reportedly prevented her from accepting an opportunity in 2013 due to the halftime being sponsored by Pepsi.
When Apple Music became the official sponsor in 2023, TMZ reported that she turned down the opportunity to focus on re-recording her albums in preparation for the Eras Tour.
She has also previously made comments that she would not perform at the Super Bowl until she owned her masters, according to Elle. She now owns her masters.
The Super Bowl performer is typically announced in the late summer or early fall the year before the event. Last year, Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar was announced as the performer in September 2024 and delivered a culturally impactful performance in New Orleans.
This year’s performer should be announced within the next month or so.
Currently, data from prediction market operator Kalshi suggests there is a 59% chance Swift will headline the halftime show. The next three artists with the highest odds are Metallica, Post Malone and Jay-Z.