What to know for an extra-interesting Super Bowl LVIII

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Two great teams. The biggest star in football. A matchup that's too close to call. And, yes, Taylor Swift. The ingredients are in place for a memorable night when Super Bowl LVIII kicks off Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET in Las Vegas.

Here's what to know for the big game:

It's a toss-up.

This San Francisco vs. Kansas City matchup is about as close as it gets. The 49ers are favoured by two points in the betting markets, implying they have about a 54 per cent chance of hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy. But everyone you talk to seems to pick K.C. to repeat as NFL champions.

That's mostly because of Patrick Mahomes. Last year's regular-season and Super Bowl MVP saw his numbers fall off this season as Kansas City's weak receivers unit struggled and superstar tight end Travis Kelce finally started to show his age. The defending champs finished a relatively pedestrian 11-6, giving them the No. 3 seed for the AFC playoffs.

But Mahomes, like he always seems to do, came through when it mattered most. After freezing out Miami in a frigid first-round game at Arrowhead, football's best player overcame hostile environments to win the first two true road playoff games of his career. He beat Buffalo, then upset top-seeded Baltimore in the AFC championship game with a big assist from K.C.'s defence, which this year ascended from underrated to sort-of feared. Kelce stepped up too, racking up 17 catches for 191 yards and three touchdowns over the last two games to show that he's still more than just Taylor Swift's boyfriend.

San Francisco's journey to the Super Bowl seemed more pre-ordained.