2026 FIFA World Cup final halftime show
Event during the 2026 FIFA World Cup final
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The halftime show during the 2026 FIFA World Cup final is set to take place on July 19, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States, marking the first ever halftime show for the FIFA World Cup. Directed by Hamish Hamilton, it will be co-headlined by Madonna, Shakira, BTS and Justin Bieber, and feature Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel, PS22 Chorus, and Coldplay. It will be produced by FIFA and Global Citizen, aiming to raise 100 million dollars for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which helps end extreme poverty and increase access to sports for children.
| |
| Date | July 19, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Location | East Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Venue | MetLife Stadium |
| Headliner | |
| Special guests | |
| Director | Hamish Hamilton |
| Producer | |
The show has come under scrutiny amid concerns relating to the commercialization of the sport. Criticism has been specifically directed towards the show being in breach of FIFA's 15-minute interval rule.
Background
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Before the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show was headlined by American musician Usher in February 2024,[1] Greg O'Keeffe of The Athletic published an article questioning if a similar performance would be ideal for soccer tournaments like the FIFA World Cup or the UEFA Champions League.[2] Tim Crow, a marketing consultant who works with several brands which sponsor FIFA and UEFA, teased that organizations "have both pushed to extend half-time with the opportunities in mind."[2] In 2024, Global Citizen co-founder Hugh Evans suggested to the FIFA president Gianni Infantino the idea of a halftime show during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final, seeing it as an "opportunity to see what we could learn through that process, but also kick off the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund."[3] The show was announced in June 2025, becoming the FIFA's first ever halftime show, produced in a cooperation with Global Citizen and the Global Citizen Festival curator, Chris Martin of Coldplay.[4] Additionally, Evans and Martin discussed the idea of the halftime show during the 2026 FIFA World Cup with several producers, including Hamish Hamilton and Ben Winston.[3]
On September 28, 2024, FIFA and Global Citizen announced their four-year agreement, with aim to help end extreme poverty and increase access to sports and quality education for children around the world.[5] Simultaneously, they announced the co-production of the first ever halftime show for the FIFA World Cup final on the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.[5] On March 5, 2025, FIFA announced that Coldplay would assist with picking the list of performers.[6] Infantino commented: "This will be a historic moment for the FIFA World Cup and a show worthy of the world's greatest sporting events."[7] Evans added that the show would be "a world first, a ground-breaking moment where sport, music and culture merge, celebrating football's unique power to bring us all together."[7]
Announcement
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On May 13, 2026, it was announced that American singer Madonna, Colombian singer Shakira and South Korean boy band BTS would headline the show, which would also feature the Muppets and Sesame Street characters.[8][9] The announcement was made in a video shared on social media, in which Martin revealed the artists with the Muppets and Sesame Street characters.[10] Live Nation Entertainment and Done+Dusted were announced as the show's co-producers.[9] On the same day, the lineup was unveiled at the Global Citizen NOW Summit in New York City, attended by Infantino, Evans, footballer Kaká and Shakira.[11]
FIFA and Global Citizen announced that the show was aiming to raise 100 million dollars for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.[8] Global Citizen sources confirmed to The Athletic that Madonna, Shakira and BTS would not receive performance fees, as they were "donating their time to the social justice organization."[12] In the press release, Madonna called the oppurtunity to support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund "deeply meaningful."[9] Shakira commented: "I've spent my life doing two things – making songs and building schools. At the FIFA World Cup, those two paths come together."[9] On July 8, 2026, FIFA announced that Canadian singer Justin Bieber would join as a headliner as well, while Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel, PS22 Chorus and Coldplay would be the guest performers.[13] Guy Carrington of Done+Dusted suggested that the show would also include surprises beyond what has been announced.[14]
Madonna revealed that, being a soccer fan, she wanted to perform at the show, adding: "I've been bugging and harassing my manager for over a year about it."[15] Shakira and Burna Boy recorded the tournament's official song, "Dai Dai", which was released on May 14, 2026.[16] It was included on the official compilation album, Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Album, released on June 5, 2026.[17] On June 11, 2026, Shakira and Burna Boy performed it on the 2026 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony in Mexico City.[18] Shakira revealed that she was going to perform it on the final halftime show as well.[9] On June 25, 2026, FIFA released the "Bonus Edition" of Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Album, featuring the "FIFA version" of "Read My Lips", recorded by Madonna and Feid for Madonna's album Confessions II.[19]
Development
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The show was directed by Hamilton, who has previously directed each Super Bowl halftime show since 2010. The show was prepared for months in cooperation with all of the acts. Carrington described it as "tight, highly coordinated mega-mix". Wanting to make it representative of the world and create "a real moment of collaboration and unity", Martin engaged acts from different countries. In order to protect the grass and make no negative impact on the match itself, the producers planned to lay out a big cloth over the pitch and ordered all the participants to wear lightweight footwear.[14]
On May 14, 2026, BBC Sport reported that the show was planned to be 11 minutes long.[8] The Atlantic reported that FIFA was planning to use the MetLife Stadium playing field for the show, contrary to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final halftime show, which was held on a stage high up in the stands to avoid any impact on the playing surface.[20] Additionally, it reported that the interval for the show would run significantly beyond soccer's regulations of 15 minutes, codified by the International Football Association Board.[20] On July 14, 2026, BBC Sport reported that the halftime is expected to last between 20 and 25 minutes and the 11-minute show is planned to start after the normal 15-minute break.[21] The Atlantic added that FIFA was targeting the halftime to last no longer than 20 minutes.[22] On July 17, 2026, broadcasters were informed by FIFA that the halftime would last 18 minutes, including 7-minute installation of the stage and 11-minute show.[23]
On June 22, 2026, Radar Online reported about the tension between FIFA and Madonna due to her pushing for full creative control of her set, elaborate custom staging, nonstop rehearsals, top-level security and a production budget.[24]
Controversy
The show sparked controversies among media and soccer community, which deemed it as an Americanization and commercialization of soccer.[25][26][27][28] Ben Church of CNN commented that the soccer "purists" saw it as "something so far removed from the origins of the sport that it feels delirious and almost unholy."[25] There have also been concerns about violating the International Football Association Board rule that an interval of match cannot exceed 15 minutes and it may be altered only with the referee's permission, because longer interval may influence the players' routine and recovery.[27][26] Halftime shows for the 2024 Copa América final and 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final each reached 24 minutes.[29][30]
Crow commented: "Football is different from NFL which has more frequent stoppages and offensive and defensive teams. In football, there would be questions over how you keep the players warm and tuned up for 30 minutes."[2] He also added that the sports in the United States, including Super Bowl, was built "on a commercial model, as a vehicle to sell TV advertising," while in Europe "there could still be a lower audience appetite and tolerance for the amount of ads that the Super Bowl half-time show contains."[2] Sports journalist Gabriele Marcotti commented: "Professional footballers are conditioned to 15-minute breaks. They're athletes. Mess with their routine and they'll get cold, or hot, or stiff or whatever. It's not worth the risk of screwing with this."[26]
The Guardian reported that several World Cup broadcasters reached out to FIFA for clarity on the length of the show, but did not receive answers.[27] The show caused problems especially for commercial broadcasters because their advertising teams had inventory to sell.[27] In May 2026, media reported that the BBC rejected to broadcast the show during the main television coverage, with intention to having pundits analyze the opening 45 minutes, and instead show it only on their digital services.[31] ITV was reported to follow with the same decision.[32] However, on July 15, 2026, it was reported that both broadcasters decided to air the show.[33]
On the contrary, Crow commented that the show was "just another culture clash in a tournament full to the brim with just that."[25] He felt that for Americans "entertainment and sports have always gone hand in hand," asking: "why shouldn't a host nation stamp its own identity on matches played on its home turf?".[25] Moreover, he reminded about the multiple collaborations between FIFA and Shakira over the years and added: "We then have BTS, the K-pop megaband that's mobilized a movement and Madonna who, well, is just Madonna – who doesn’t love a bit of 'Like a Prayer'?"[25] Marcotti commented that "football has to evolve, and maybe this is a necessary step."[26] He added that FIFA was a commercial corporation and the national associations "vote Gianni Infantino into power largely on the basis that he'll continue generating revenue and redistributing it around the world."[26]
