Madonna, Shakira and K-pop megastars BTS will headline a Super Bowl-style halftime show during the 2026 FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19, FIFA said Thursday.
Coldplay’s Chris Martin is curating the show, which is a first for a football World Cup final, but concerns have been raised about how long the break will be.
The largest World Cup ever, with 48 teams, starts on June 11 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced in March last year that there would be “the first-ever halftime show at a FIFA World Cup final”.
He did not say at the time who would perform or how long the show would last.
“This will be a historic moment for the FIFA World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world,” he said on Instagram.
The move mirrors the show put on at the 2024 Copa America final in Miami, when Colombian star Shakira performed at half-time at the Hard Rock Stadium.
Last year there was also a half-time show during the FIFA Club World Cup final, also at MetLife Stadium, which extended the break beyond the prescribed 15 minutes.
Infantino added that FIFA also planned to take over Times Square in New York during the final weekend of the World Cup.
The half-time extravaganza will support FIFA’s Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative committed to raising $100 million for children around the world during the World Cup.
Shakira teased the new official song for the World Cup last week, releasing a short video of the song shot at Brazil’s iconic Maracana Stadium.
The singer – who also created the 2010 World Cup anthem ‘Waka Waka’ – announced the song, titled ‘Dai Dai’, in a post on her Instagram account.
Shakira has a long association with the World Cup, performing at the 2006 and 2014 World Cup finals in addition to producing “Waka Waka” for the 2010 tournament.
Published on May 14, 2026
