Madonna, BTS and Shakira to headline Super Bowl-style World Cup final halftime show

Madonna, Shakira and K-pop supergroup BTS to headline a Super Bowl-style first-ever World Cup final halftime show on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, FIFA said on Thursday.

Coldplay’s Chris Martin will curate the show, which is a first for a final of the football World Cup, the tournament’s organiser added.

"The FIFA World Cup 2026 Final halftime show will be a truly special moment, bringing together music, football and a shared commitment to improving the lives of children around the world," FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on social media.

"Together, we will support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund and help create greater access to quality education and football for children worldwide."

A similar half-time show was also organised at last year’s FIFA Club World Cup final, which was also at MetLife Stadium, which stretched the break beyond the regulation 15 minutes.

Infantino added that the football governing body also planned to "take over" New York´s Times Square on the final weekend of the mega event.

The half-time show will support FIFA´s Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative working to raise $100 million for children worldwide during the World Cup.

Shakira, who has a long association with the World Cup, performing at the 2006 and 2014 mega events and also producing "Waka Waka" for the 2010 tournament, last week teased a new official song for the FIFA World Cup 2026. She released a brief video of the track and announced the song, titled "Dai Dai", in a post on her Instagram account.

FIFA World Cup 2026 is scheduled in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

The 48 teams, divided into 12 groups of four, will play a 104-match tournament across 16 cities.