Taylor Swift‘s fans are getting ready for it… the big game, that is. Since the pop superstar went on the New Heights podcast for a two-hour interview and announced her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, fans have been buzzing with new theories, and one in particular has caught on: Swifties are convinced that the singer is planning to headline the Super Bowl LX halftime show next year.
“I’m never going to plant an Easter egg that ties back to my personal life,” Swift said on the show. “It’s always going to be towards music, something I have coming up.” Here are all the Easter eggs and theories that explain why fans think Swift is finally taking the famed stage in 2026. (Reps for Swift and the NFL did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)
Swift Announced Her Album on a Sports Podcast, of All Platforms
Some fans were perplexed when Swift announced her appearance on New Heights, and even more surprised when the singer took the opportunity to announce her new album, The Life of a Showgirl. “Words are being said that have never been said before,” one fan wrote about the situation on X. But some fans think the announcement platform isn’t all that random. Not only is New Heights hosted by Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and his brother Jason, it’s also primarily a sports podcast hosted by two professional football players. Could that be a hint to something else she’s planning?
She’s Dating a Three-Time Super Bowl Champion
Speaking of which, let’s get the most obvious football connection out of the way for our fellow non-sports experts: Swift is dating Kelce, a three-time Super Bowl champion. In fact, two of his Super Bowl wins with the Kansas City Chiefs have been against the San Francisco 49ers, the team whose home field, Levi’s Stadium, is hosting the big game next year. Kelce’s Chiefs beat the Niners 31-20 in 2019 and again in 2023, this time 25-22. (His other Super Bowl win was a 38-35 victory against his brother Jason’s former Philadelphia Eagles in 2022.) So the idea of a Super Bowl performance there just feels right.
The NFL Already Knows and Loves Her
For years now, Swift has developed a working relationship with the National Football League. In 2022, she debuted the exclusive Midnights music video teaser during a Thursday Night Football game between the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals. And since she started dating Kelce and attending games, the NFL has leaned into her superstardom. Swift’s appearances during live NFL broadcasts have arguably led to increased viewership, and the league’s official social media accounts love to reference her. Who could forget the worldwide frenzy that kicked in when Swift had to race from Tokyo to Las Vegas to see the 2024 Super Bowl?
Swift Loves Sourdough. So Does This Football Team
Yes, we all know that Taylor Swift loves baking. She’s whipped up cookies for fans at listening parties (specifically, chai sugar cookies with eggnog icing), and she even used cookies to endorse Joe Biden’s presidential campaign two elections ago. But on the New Heights podcast, she shared her new baking obsession: sourdough bread. “I’m really talking about bread 60 percent of the time,” Swift said, causing Travis to erupt in laughter.
And you know who else has a sourdough connection? The San Francisco 49ers, whose mascot is a bearded gold miner named Sourdough Sam. Where’s the 2026 Super Bowl being held? Levi’s Stadium, a.k.a. the Niners’ (and Sourdough Sam’s) home in Santa Clara.
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@brianasarkisian I think it’s happening 👀 Gear Up! @Taylor Swift @Travis Kelce @New Heights #superbowl #halftimeshow #taylorswift #newheights #fyp
“It’s become a huge factor,” Swift said of her bread-making on the podcast. “We are very deep in a sourdough obsession that is taking over my life.” Bear with us here: If “sourdough obsession” is really a cute way of hinting at “Super Bowl halftime show,” it would make sense why rehearsals and planning for the big day would be “taking over” her life.
The 49ers even shared a silly video on TikTok of their stadium with a viral audio, in which someone asks, “What’s going on here? Why’s everyone acting weird towards me.”
@49ers
All the Numbers Point to a Touchdown Performance
During her podcast appearance, Swift explained her love of numerology to Jason and how she uses numbers for Easter eggs. Fans noticed that the singer mentioned the number “47” quite a few times. So what’s the significance of that number? Well, according to fans, it’s the fact that Levi’s Stadium marked the 47th stop on the singer’s massive Eras Tour. The 49ers team name could also be another clue —what’s four plus nine? That’s right, it’s 13, Swift’s favorite number. Lastly, as noted above, Swift claimed she was thinking about bread “60 percent of the time.” Guess what? Next year is the NFL’s 60th Super Bowl.
Taylor then said, “47 seconds” & “47,000” during The New Heights podcast. Santa Clara, where the 49ers play, was the 47th stop on The Eras Tour. Finally, if you look behind Travis & Taylor, The Heisman Trophy is laying on it’s side on the shelf. TAYLOR! SWIFT! IS! A! MASTERMIND!
— DeetsJacque (@DeetsJacque) August 15, 2025
The Halftime Show’s Sponsors Have Changed
It may come as a surprise to non-fans that one of the biggest pop stars in the world has yet to grace the Super Bowl halftime show stage. But there’s a good, inside-baseball reason for that. In 2013, Swift entered a “long-time partnership” with Diet Coke, which is a direct competitor of Pepsi, who sponsored the Super Bowl until 2021. Once Apple Music became the big game’s sponsor, rumors swirled that the singer had been offered the headlining slot, but turned it down. Whether or not that’s true, there’s nothing stopping Swift on the business side now.
Swift Is a Free Agent
That fits into a bigger point, which is that Swift is somewhat of a music-industry free agent since she bought back her master recordings in May 2025. “All the music I’ve ever made now belongs to me… my life’s work,” she said at the time. With that new sense of freedom, it feels like anything is possible for Swift. Maybe even playing the Super Bowl with a medley of her biggest hits from over the years?
Levi’s Jeans Is Leaning Into the Idea
To add more fuel to the Levi’s Stadium speculation fire, the jeans brand itself shared a TikTok replacing its logo on a jean pocket with a sparkly orange rectangle to celebrate the announcement of The Life of a Showgirl. “Subtle swap for the big day,” the denim company captioned the post, which has been played nearly 3 million times already. The Levi’s love isn’t so unexpected, since Swift shouted out the brand in a lyric from Folklore single “Cardigan,” in which she sings: “But I knew you/Dancin’ in your Levis/Drunk under a streetlight.” And Levi’s is hardly the only brand that’s tried to get a little bit of that new-Taylor-album magic this week. Still, it’s hard not to wonder what that “big day” could be.
From Rolling Stone US
