Super Bowl 52 will see the New England Patriots take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL’s championship game.

The Patriots are five-time champions, and favourites to make it six against an Eagles team that won 11 games in a row earlier this season.

But the Super Bowl is about more than just the football – over the years it has grown to become a spectacle complete with celebrities, musicians, multi-million dollar advertising and a heaving media scrum.

Led by 40-year-old veteran quarterback Tom Brady, who has taken his team to seven Super Bowls since 2002, the Patriots are the heavy favourites to claim the Vince Lombardi trophy.

The Eagles won’t be pushovers, though, having won 11 games in a row before promising young quarterback Carson Wentz was struck down with a knee injury. He will watch the Super Bowl from the sidelines.

Held in a different major US city every year, the Super Bowl has taken over the freezing city of Minneapolis for the past week, with the media setting up camp at the larger than life Mall of America.

The temperature on game day is expected to hit -15 degrees Celsius, but fans filing into the arena will avoid those conditions as US Bank Stadium is covered by a roof.

When it comes to the action on the field, the Patriots will be wearing white and the Eagles green.

While the contest may seem confusing at first to those not familiar with American football, it is essentially like rugby, just with forward passing.

Separated into offense, defense and special teams, the object is to get the football into the opposing team’s endzone for a touchdown.

The quarterback is the anchor of the offense and the one tasked with throwing the ball and making all the decisions. On the other side is the defensive line and secondary unit, tasked with shutting down their opponents with the ball.

The game is played in four quarters of 15 minutes, with a longer break between the two halves.

When the game is all said and done, the winner will take home the Vince Lombardi trophy, named after the legendary Green Bay Packers coach and NFL official.

In addition to the game, there’s the glitz and glamour of the celebrities in the crowd and those performing at half-time.

One of the most prominent faces watching on from the Patriot’s owner’s box will be supermodel Gisele Bundchen, wife of Brady. The 37-year-old Brazilian has been with Brady since 2006 and the couple has two children.

Other celebrities in the crowd will include the likes of Mark Wahlberg, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Bon Jovi, who are all backing the Patriots. Eagles fans include none other than the Fresh Prince himself (Will Smith), Bradley Cooper and Kevin Hart.

Then there’s the half-time ads and entertainment. Justin Timberlake is making a return to the Super Bowl stage, 14 years after his infamous performance in 2004 with Janet Jackson.

That is all you need to know about the 2018 edition of the Super Bowl.

Who are you backing?

Photos: AAP Images