Taylor Swift cheers on boyfriend Kelce in NFL clash

Taylor Swift has made her much-anticipated appearance at the 58th Super Bowl in Las Vegas, dancing and cheering in the stands with her family and some famous friends.

The singer, 33, has been dating Travis Kelce, 34, the star tight end of the Kansas City Chiefs, one of the two teams facing off in the Sunday night game.

Their relationship - a meeting of two American superstars - has dominated headlines since Swift's first NFL appearance in September, with the popstar's massive fandom bringing an even bigger audience to the beloved American sport.

Entering overtime, Kelce's Chiefs were tied with the San Francisco 49ers but Swift still looked in high spirits, laughing with her friends and even chugging a drink while on the jumbotron - in full view of the 65,000 football fans in the stadium and the millions watching from home.

Some had speculated this trip might be too far for Swift, who played a concert in Tokyo on Saturday.

But she was helped by the 17-hour time difference between Tokyo and the US west coast, and by late on Saturday evening her plane had been spotted in Los Angeles.

By Sunday afternoon, a few minutes before kick-off, Swift was pictured walking the tunnels of the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, her parents, rapper Ice Spice and the actress Blake Lively in tow.

Dressed in the Chiefs' colours of red and black, she was soon pictured in the stadium's luxury suites, greeting Kelce's older brother, Jason Kelce, another NFL star.

Jason Kelce - who won the Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017 - stole the spotlight from Swift at a game last month, when cameras caught him shirtless, chugging beers and climbing through the stands.

On his and Travis' podcast New Heights, Travis said Swift had "absolutely loved" Jason and his antics.

Swift has been a regular at Travis Kelce's games since she began dating him and Sunday's game - already appointment television for millions in the US - doubled as the season finale to their closely-watched public romance.

Together, the two extremely famous individuals have become a cultural juggernaut, inspiring memes, breathless tabloid coverage and themed merchandise.

And to some, their relationship apparently seemed too good to be true, with right-wing critics spinning Swift and Kelce-themed conspiracy theories.

In one, dismissed by the NFL as "nonsense", critics claim their relationship is part of a plot to rig the championship game in an effort to help US President Joe Biden, a Democrat, get elected.

But even outside of the conspiracy world, some long-time football fans have griped at the sudden arrival of Swift, who has commanded the NFL conversation for months. Still, her presence has been a clear boon for the league.

Earlier on Sunday, Swift was pictured speaking to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who has called her a "dynamo".

"Everything she touches, there are people following," he said at his annual news conference. "We count ourselves fortunate, and we welcome it."

A recent poll from Seton Hall University in New Jersey found that around 21% of Americans - and 41% of 18-34-year-olds - who are watching this year's Super Bowl said Swift's presence influenced their decision or that of of someone in their household to watch it.

"The viewership for this game is on a seemingly inexorable march toward more viewers, and this year Taylor Swift may be playing the role of drum major," said Daniel Ladik, chief methodologist for the poll.

Some hope Swift's presence will also spur on the defending champions, who are playing their fourth Super Bowl in five years.

Speaking about Swift's latest success at the Grammys - where she became the first person to win the coveted Album of the Year award four times - Kelce said he is looking to match her trophy.

"She's rewriting the history books herself," he said. "I told her I'd have to hold up my end of the bargain and come home with some hardware, too."