The Super Bowl extravaganza was watched by a star-studded 65,719 crowd bristling with celebrities and VIPs headed by Donald Trump, who became the first sitting US president to attend the event after jetting into New Orleans from Florida on Air Force One earlier in the day following a round of golf with Tiger Woods.

Trump has had an uneasy relationship with the NFL over the years, triggering uproar in 2017 after attacking players for kneeling in protest against racial injustice during renditions of the US national anthem.

But the US leader was given a broadly positive reception at the Superdome after arriving at the venue shortly before kick-off.

Soon after arriving, Trump met with first responders and family members of victims of the January 1 attack in New Orleans that left 14 people dead and dozens wounded.

Later, loud cheering could be heard among the crowd when the Superdome's giant screen showed Trump saluting during the national anthem.

That warm applause was in stark contrast to the booing that rang around the venue early in the first quarter when the same screen showed pop icon Taylor Swift sitting in the VIP seats.

Trump, meanwhile, expressed hope the nation could come together for the Super Bowl, which is by far the biggest annual event on the American sporting calendar.

"Football is America's most popular sport -- for good reason -- it fosters a sense of national unity, bringing families, friends, and fans together and strengthening communities," Trump said in a statement released by the White House.

"This annual tradition transcends our differences and personifies our shared patriotic values of family, faith, and freedom," he added.

Swift, watching boyfriend and Chiefs ace Travis Kelce, was among a galaxy of stars crowded into the venue, with the likes of Beatles legend Paul McCartney rubbing shoulders with Hollywood actors Kevin Costner, Paul Rudd and Anne Hathaway and soccer star Lionel Messi.

The catcalls for Swift -- who backed Trump's opponent Kamala Harris in last year's election -- were not lost on the US President.

Trump later shared a post on his TruthSocial network which read: "Trump gets massive cheers at the Super Bowl while Taylor Swift gets booed - the world is healing!" (AFP)