The World Cup Just Got A Halftime Show — And It’s Absolutely Stacked
Shakira. Madonna. Bts. One Stage. The Biggest Match On Earth.
Madonna, Shakira and BTS will perform during halftime of the World Cup final game — announced jointly by Global Citizen and FIFA on Thursday, May 14. And this isn’t just any performance. This will be the first-ever World Cup final halftime show in the history of the tournament.
The historic show takes place on Sunday, July 19, 2026 at New York/New Jersey Stadium — curated by none other than Coldplay’s Chris Martin.
How long will it last?
Here’s where it gets interesting. Halftime for the World Cup final could stretch well beyond the 15 minutes required by the laws of the game. For context, Bad Bunny’s performance at Super Bowl LX lasted about 13 minutes — but by the time the stage was set up and broken down, halftime clocked in at 25 minutes. Expect something similar here.
The show will also likely take place on MetLife Stadium’s temporary grass field, after the halftime show at last year’s Club World Cup was performed from the stands — presumably to save time and preserve the playing surface.
The lineup’s pedigree
These aren’t just big names — they’re generational icons. Two of the headliners have previously fronted the Super Bowl halftime show: Madonna headlined in 2012, while Shakira co-headlined alongside Jennifer Lopez in 2020.
BTS, meanwhile, made a massive return to music earlier this year with their sixth studio album ARIRANG — their first project since completing military service. It debuted atop the Billboard 200 and stayed there for three straight weeks. They’re currently on their ARIRANG WORLD TOUR.
And Shakira’s connection to this World Cup runs even deeper — she recorded the official 2026 World Cup song, “Dai Dai,” with Burna Boy.
The bigger purpose
The show is being produced by non-profit Global Citizen and will 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. The fund has already raised more than $30 million, with $1 from every World Cup ticket sold being donated throughout the tournament.
Oh, and expect some unexpected guests — the announcement video featured Kermit, Miss Piggy, Elmo, Cookie Monster and the rest of the Muppets and Sesame Street gang. Yes, really.
Football meets pop culture at its absolute peak. July 19 can’t come soon enough.