For the first time in the tournament’s history, the FIFA World Cup 2026 final will feature a half-time show. Scheduled for July 19, this unprecedented event promises an alluring blend of musical styles and global icons to break up the play. On May 14, FIFA officially announced via an Instagram video that the inaugural performance will be headlined by Colombian star Shakira, American pop legend Madonna, and South Korean boyband BTS.

To bring this massive event to life, FIFA has partnered with the social justice organization Global Citizen, with Coldplay’s Chris Martin curating the star-studded line-up. According to a report by The Athletic, the organizers plan to use the MetLife Stadium field for the performance. Because of this staging, the interval for the tournament’s showpiece event will run significantly beyond soccer’s usual 15-minute regulation.

This marks a shift from last year’s Club World Cup final at MetLife, where the half-time show did not use the field, and organizers instead constructed a stage high up in the stands to avoid impacting the playing surface.

Shakira’s Triumphant Return

Shakira is famously connected to the World Cup stage.The 49-year-old singer provided the official soundtrack for the 2010 edition in South Africa with her massive hit “Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)”. For this tournament, the four-time Grammy winner collaborated with Nigerian singer Burna Boy to unveil a brand-new official World Cup song titled “Dai Dai”.

The Queen of Pop and K-Pop Kings

Alongside Shakira, on the world’s greatest stage are two wildly different but equally massive musical forces.
Madonna, the original Queen of Pop, will be performing, fresh off a recent surprise appearance at Coachella alongside Sabrina Carpenter that brought her music to a new generation.

BTS, recognized as one of the biggest K-pop groups in the world, will also take the field. The seven-member South Korean band recently returned from a hiatus due to mandatory military service, streaming a comeback concert on Netflix that drew a global audience of 18.4 million viewers. BTS previously made history as the first K-pop group to properly break America, with their 2020 song “Dynamite” debuting at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

With this massive trio bringing together music and football, the July 19 final will aim to celebrate the sport while supporting the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, helping create greater access to quality education and football for children worldwide.