Madonna, Shakira and BTS will perform during the halftime show at the 2026 World Cup final, a first for FIFA and one of the sport’s biggest stages. The show is set for Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and will run for 11 minutes.
Global Citizen announced the lineup on Thursday, May 14, saying the halftime performance is being curated with Coldplay’s Chris Martin. The group is helping turn the final into a fund-raising event for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which is working to raise $100 million to expand access to education and football for children worldwide.
The money trail is already under way. The fund has raised more than $30 million, and $1 from every World Cup match ticket sold is being donated throughout the tournament. That gives the halftime show a purpose beyond spectacle, even as FIFA uses the final to stage a format the World Cup has never tried before.
The booking also ties each performer to a different part of the tournament’s recent history. Madonna once took center field at the 2012 Super Bowl halftime show. Shakira co-headlined the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show with Jennifer Lopez and already had a World Cup link through her official 2026 song, “Dai Dai,” with Burna Boy. BTS, meanwhile, returned to music after each member completed military service, releasing their sixth studio album, ARIRANG, on March 20.
ARIRANG debuted atop the Billboard 200 and stayed there for three straight weeks, then BTS launched the ARIRANG WORLD TOUR in Goyang, South Korea, before bringing it to the U.S. on April 25. For the group, the halftime spot lands while they are back in motion; for FIFA, it gives the final a pop-profile it has never had.
The only real unknown now is whether an 11-minute show can deliver both the scale and the message being promised. On July 19, the answer will be on the field at MetLife, with the World Cup final getting its first halftime break and its biggest off-field platform yet.
