Average length of Super Bowl explained as game is double the ...

While the always World Cup sends football fans into an absolute frenzy, it seems to have nothing on Super Bowl Sunday, which is considered by some to be the greatest sporting event in the world.

The Super Bowl is an annual event in the National Football League (NFL) in the US to determine the champion of the league.

This year will be the 57th Super Bowl, also known as Super Bowl LVII and it's taking place today (February 12) at State Farm Stadium in Arizona, USA. The game will see Kansas City Chiefs face off against the Philadelphia Eagles to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

But unlike when watching a British soccer match, those who cheer on one of these teams won't be committing to viewing 90 minutes of play and some extra time, as American football works rather differently.

The Super Bowl event can last between three and four hours, with the average Super Bowl taking three hours and 12 minutes to complete.

Interestingly enough, the actual football game itself is only an hour long, split into four 15-minute quarters.

So how does an hour and a half turn into three or more hours?

There's the iconic half-time show to consider, which adds an extra half an hour of time onto the whole thing.

This year Rihanna will be performing at the halftime show, following on from last years headliners Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar.

The management of the clock in an NFL game is another one of the main reasons as to why it takes so long to complete.

Whenever there is a change in possession of the ball between the teams, the clock stops and sides change their personnel, alternating between their 11-man offensive and defensive units.

Usually, these breaks in play whilst the clock is stopped are marked by commercial breaks as the NFL takes full advantage of its vast global outreach. An average game features around 12 possessions per team, with each change usually welcoming a round of TV commercials.

Other factors that could cause time to add up are video reviews of controversial calls, penalties, three-minute time-outs per side where teams can tactically choose to stop the clock and breaks with two minutes remaining at the end of each half.

Will you be watching the Super Bowl? Let us know in the comments below.