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BTS, Madonna, Shakira to headline the World Cup final's halftime show
Updated May 14, 2026, 1:00 a.m. ETK-pop supergroup BTS, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Madonna and Columbian singer-songwriter Shakira will headline the first FIFA World Cup final halftime show in the tournament's nearly 100-year-history. The World Cup final will take place July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.FIFA and nonprofit Global Citizen took to Instagram to announce the lineup for the Super Bowl-style halftime show May 14. In the announcement video, Coldplay's Chris Martin is joined by a cast that featured Elmo, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and Cookie Monster, who joked that BTS' hit "Butter" was both the monster's favorite song and cookie ingredient.When Elmo asked Martin what a halftime show was, the Grammy winner explained that people get together for singing, dancing and music."It's a chance to show how amazing all different kinds of humans are," Martin continued. "And we get to raise some money for children's education."According to FIFA, "the show will raise funds for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund," which aims to improve access to quality education and soccer for children around the world.Late on May 13, eagle-eyed fans noticed that Madonna and the FIFA World Cup Instagram accounts began following each other. The Queen of Pop performed with Sabrina Carpenter at Coachella in April and will release "Confessions II," the follow-up to 2005's "Confessions on a Dance Floor," on July 3.BTS, whose members recently completed their mandatory military service in South Korea, released its fifth studio album, "ARIRANG," on March 20. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook are currently on a world tour, with stops in Stanford, California and Las Vegas in May. The tour returns to the States with shows this August in Chicago and Los Angeles in Sept. The group has earned six No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 since 2020 and sells out stadiums across the world.Shakira, the best-selling female Latin artist of all time, is no stranger to the World Cup. The Grammy-winner released "Dai Dai," the official song of the 2026 World Cup, May 14. The single features Nigerian artist Burna Boy. Shakira also sang the 2010 World Cup anthem "Waka Waka" when the tournament was held in South Africa.Global Citizen will produce the halftime show, with assistance from Martin, who is also no stranger to FIFA. Martin also assisted Global Citizen with the first-ever FIFA Club World Cup final halftime show, which took place in...
Madonna, Shakira, BTS to headline World Cup final half-time show
Coldplay's Chris Martin is curating the show, which is a first for a football World Cup final but has raised concerns about how long half-time will be.The biggest-ever World Cup, with 48 teams, kicks off on June 11 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced in March last year that there would be "the first-ever half-time show at a FIFA World Cup final".He did not say at the time who would be performing or how long the show would last."This will be a historic moment for the FIFA World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world," he said on Instagram.The move mirrors the show held during the final of the 2024 Copa America in Miami, when Colombian star Shakira performed at half-time at the Hard Rock Stadium.There was also a half-time show at last year's FIFA Club World Cup final, also at MetLife Stadium, which stretched the break in excess of the regulation 15 minutes.Infantino added that FIFA also planned to "take over" New York's Times Square on the final weekend of the World Cup.The half-time extravaganza will support FIFA's Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative working to raise $100 million for children worldwide during the World Cup. Shakira last week teased the new official song for the World Cup, releasing a brief video of the track filmed at Brazil's iconic Maracana Stadium.The singer -- who also created the 2010 World Cup anthem "Waka Waka" -- announced the song, titled "Dai Dai" in a post on her Instagram account.In the 67-second video, Shakira appears on the pitch at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, where she performed in a free concert at the city's Copacabana Beach before two million people.Holding the "Trionda", the official match ball of the 2026 World Cup, Shakira performed excerpts of the song in English, joined by dancers dressed in the colors of teams including the United States and Colombia.The song was produced with Nigerian artist Burna Boy and is set for official release on Thursday. The clip, also shared by the FIFA World Cup account, ends with the message: "We're ready!"Shakira has a long association with the World Cup, performing at the 2006 and 2014 World Cup finals in addition to producing "Waka Waka" for the 2010 tournament. © 2026 AFP
Madonna, Shakira & BTS to Headline 2026 World Cup Final Halftime Show
Madonna, Shakira and BTS will perform during halftime of the World Cup final game, Global Citizen and FIFA announced first thing Thursday (May 14).
FIFA World Cup 2026: Madonna, Shakira and BTS Named Halftime Show ...
Madonna, Shakira and BTS were named the halftime show headliners for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final on Wednesday.
