Madonna, Shakira and BTS to headline first-ever FIFA World Cup final halftime show
The FIFA World Cup 2026 final will feature a Super Bowl-style halftime show, headlined by Madonna, Shakira, and BTS, on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium. The event aims to raise awareness and funds for educational opportunities, with over $30 million already secured. It marks a significant cultural shift for the tournament.
The FIFA World Cup final is getting a Super Bowl-style halftime show for the first time ever.
FIFA and Global Citizen announced that Madonna, Shakira and BTS will headline the inaugural halftime performance during the FIFA World Cup 2026™ final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium, adding another entertainment spectacle to what is already expected to become the biggest tournament in football history.
The show will be directed by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and broadcast live worldwide ahead of the conclusion of the first 48-team FIFA World Cup.
According to FIFA, the performance is designed to go beyond entertainment alone, with the event also serving as a centerpiece for the FIFA and Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative aiming to raise $100 million USD to expand access to education and football opportunities for children globally. The organizations confirmed that more than $30 million USD has already been raised through the campaign, which includes a commitment to donate one dollar from every FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket sold toward projects around the world.
“Madonna, Shakira and BTS are global figures whose music transcends borders and generations,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in the official announcement.
“On July 19, the world will unite for the most important football match on the planet, and this historic show will also shine a spotlight on a cause that is even bigger — expanding access to quality education and football opportunities for children worldwide.”
The production will be developed by Global Citizen alongside Live Nation and Done + Dusted, the company behind several globally recognized live entertainment productions.
FIFA also confirmed that the show will include appearances from Sesame Street and Muppets characters as part of the broader educational theme surrounding the performance. Organizers say the inclusion is meant to reinforce the event’s focus on children and learning opportunities across different communities worldwide.
For Shakira, the performance carries an especially personal connection. The Colombian superstar revealed that she will perform “Dai Dai,” a song specifically written for the World Cup and inspired by the tournament’s educational mission.
“I’ve spent my life doing two things: writing songs and building schools,” Shakira said in the statement. “At the FIFA World Cup, I’ll bring both together.”
Madonna also emphasized the educational focus behind the initiative, saying that access to education creates opportunities that can permanently change children’s futures. BTS echoed similar sentiments, describing music as “the universal language of hope and unity.”
The halftime show announcement represents another major step in FIFA’s effort to transform the 2026 World Cup into a broader entertainment and cultural event across Canada, the United States and Mexico.
Over the last several months, FIFA has increasingly leaned into large-scale productions tied to the tournament, including opening ceremonies, music partnerships, fan festivals and social impact campaigns connected to education, anti-racism and global unity initiatives.
The World Cup final itself is already expected to become one of the most-watched sporting events in history, and the addition of globally recognized music stars further expands the tournament’s reach beyond football audiences alone.
The final will take place at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19, closing out a tournament that begins on June 11 and spans 104 matches across 16 host cities throughout North America.
