Madonna, Shakira, and BTS are set to headline the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show, turning the 2026 championship match into one of the biggest crossover events in global entertainment history. FIFA officially confirmed the lineup for the July 19, 2026 performance at New York New Jersey Stadium, where the tournament final will kick off at 3 p.m. ET.
Curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, the halftime production marks a major shift for the FIFA World Cup brand, introducing a Super Bowl-style music spectacle to the tournament’s biggest stage for the first time. The event will also support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative aiming to raise $100 million for access to education and football programs for children worldwide.
The lineup itself reflects FIFA’s attempt to build a genuinely global broadcast moment. Madonna brings decades of pop history and stadium-scale performance experience, while Shakira returns to the World Cup spotlight after defining previous tournament eras with songs like “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. BTS, meanwhile, reaches a career peak, led by the success of their ongoing ARIRANG World Tour.
FIFA also confirmed appearances from characters tied to Sesame Street and The Muppets, including Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy.
The 2026 tournament itself will already be historic as the first World Cup jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as the first edition featuring 48 national teams.
Earlier this month FIFA announced that Katy Perry, LISA, Tyla, Future, Anitta and Rema will headline the opening ceremony celebrations in Los Angeles. For the first time, there will be three opening ceremonies planned across all three hosting nations.
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