Football’s world governing body confirmed Thursday that Madonna, Shakira, and K-pop group BTS will headline the inaugural halftime show at a World Cup final, with the performance set for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and non-profit organisation Global Citizen made the joint announcement through a social media video featuring Coldplay frontman Chris Martin alongside characters from Sesame Street and The Muppets. Martin, who is curating the show, will not perform but helped break the news with Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Animal each nominating the three headliners. Billboard reports the performance will run approximately 11 minutes.
The show marks the first time in the 96-year history of the FIFA World Cup that the tournament’s final match has featured a live music halftime performance. Both Madonna and Shakira have previously headlined the National Football League’s Super Bowl halftime show. Madonna performed at the 2012 edition, while Shakira co-headlined the 2020 show alongside Jennifer Lopez.
Global Citizen is producing the event and tying it directly to the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative targeting 100 million US dollars to expand access to quality education and football opportunities for children worldwide. FIFA has confirmed that one dollar from every match ticket sold during the tournament will be directed to the fund, with more than 30 million dollars already generated.
Shakira will perform “Dai Dai,” her official 2026 World Cup song with Nigerian artist Burna Boy, which was created specifically in support of the tournament and the education initiative. Characters from Sesame Street and The Muppets are also expected to feature during the performance as part of efforts to promote learning and child development.
“But this show is more about we than me. I mean, it’s about togetherness,” Martin said in the announcement video.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, the first edition to feature 48 national teams, runs from June 11 to July 19 across 16 host cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The tournament final at MetLife Stadium will close what FIFA President Gianni Infantino has called the most ambitious World Cup in history.
