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FIFA Taps Shakira, Madonna & BTS for World Cup Final Halftime
The World Cup has officially entered its American era. FIFA announced Wednesday night that Madonna, Shakira, and BTS will co-headline the first-ever halftime show at the FIFA World Cup Final, scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Curating the whole thing is Coldplay's Chris Martin, who broke the news in characteristically comical fashion via a social media video alongside Elmo, Cookie Monster, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and a FaceTime cameo from BTS. "But this show is more about we than me. I mean, it's about togetherness," Martin said in the clip.
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From the Super Bowl to the World Cup Stage
For American audiences, halftime shows are practically the main event. The Super Bowl turned the intermission into a spectacle unto itself, and that culture has slowly but steadily crept into other major sporting events. Now, with the World Cup landing in North America for the first time since 1994, FIFA is leaning all the way in.
While this marks the first time the World Cup final has had a halftime show, two of the July performers have previously headlined the Super Bowl halftime show: Madonna took center field at the 2012 Super Bowl, while Shakira co-headlined with Jennifer Lopez in 2020. So in a very real way, FIFA went straight to the source.
FIFA first experimented with halftime entertainment by bringing in Doja Cat, Tems, and J Balvin for the 2025 Club World Cup. That show also took place at MetLife and was curated by Martin, so this feels less like a gamble and more like a natural progression.
One logistical wrinkle: soccer rules, as set by the International Football Association Board, cap halftime at 15 minutes. Billboard understands that the show will clock in at 11 minutes, which means the whole thing will technically fit within regulation time, though how they're packaging a three-act performance into that window will be something to watch.
Three Acts, One Stage, One Massive Moment
Each of these names brings something different to the table, and together they cover an enormous amount of ground.
Madonna is, simply put, the architect of the modern pop spectacle. She's done this before at the highest level, and she's still one of the few artists who can command that kind of stage with no explanation needed.
Shakira is deeply embedded in World Cup DNA. She created the 2010 World Cup anthem "Waka Waka" and has performed at major football events before, including the 2024 Copa America final in Miami, when she performed at halftime at Hard Rock Stadium. She also just dropped "Dai Dai," her official 2026 World Cup song with Burna Boy, so her presence here is layered on multiple levels.
BTS brings the global pop machine. The group's fanbase, the ARMY, is one of the most organized and passionate in the world, and their reach extends well beyond South Korea into every corner of the globe. Having them on a stage watched by hundreds of millions of people is a statement about where pop music lives right now.
The 2022 World Cup Final drew more than 500 million live viewers, blowing past even the most-watched Super Bowl of all time. That context matters when you're thinking about what this halftime performance actually means in terms of scale.
The Cause Behind the Show
This isn't just a spectacle for spectacle's sake. The show will be produced by the non-profit Global Citizen and benefit the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, a landmark initiative working to raise $100 million to expand access to quality education and football for children around the world. Throughout the tournament, $1 from every ticket sold to FIFA World Cup 2026 matches will be donated to the fund.
The Opening Ceremonies Are No Slouch Either
The halftime show is getting most of the attention, but the opening ceremonies across all three host countries are stacked in their own right.
Katy Perry, Future, Tyla, LISA, and Anitta are slated to perform during the 2026 World Cup opening ceremonies across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Perry will headline the opening ceremony in Los Angeles ahead of the U.S. men's national team's first game against Paraguay on June 12. Future will also take the SoFi Stadium stage, alongside DJ Sanjoy.
The opening match in Toronto will feature performances by Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream, and William Prince.
In Mexico City, opening ceremony headliners include Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, Maná, and Tyla.
The full picture is a tournament that's treating its music programming as seriously as the sport itself, which, given that this is America, probably shouldn't surprise anyone.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off June 11. The final is July 19. Set your reminders.
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