For the first time ever, football fans will be treated to a historic halftime show during the final match between Spain and Argentina at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
According to FIFA, the show is aimed at bringing football, music, and social impact together on the biggest stage.
The concept of a halftime show is typically associated with the American Super Bowl.
The show is set to take place during the break between the final match and will be broadcast live.
The show’s all-star lineup includes the familiar World Cup regular, Shakira, with Nigerian Afrofusion star Burna Boy, American 'Queen of Pop' Madonna, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, Korean boyband BTS and Canadian pop star Justin Bieber. The performance is being curated by Chris Martin of Coldplay, who has previously performed a halftime show for the Super Bowl and curated a halftime show for last year’s Club World Cup.
The show’s executive producer, Guy Carrington of Done+Dusted, told The Hollywood Reporter, “It’s an action-packed 11 minutes.”
The initial announcement had caused concern among football fans as the International Football Association states that players are entitled to a maximum of 15 minutes stoppage between matches. Fans were concerned that the lineup of star appearances would extend the mid-game break time.
The show will take place on Sunday night at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
According to FIFA, the show will also support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative aimed at raising access to quality education and football opportunities for children worldwide.
The initiative aims to raise $100 million. With $1 from each ticket throughout the cup going to the fund, FIFA has already raised $60 million to this point.
The show’s executive producer, Guy Carrington of Done+Dusted, told The Hollywood Reporter, “It’s an action-packed 11 minutes.”
The game will also have a closing ceremony which, according to FIFA, will celebrate the journey of all 48 participating nations in the 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The ceremony is expected to feature appearances from actor Tom Cruise, internet personality IShowSpeed, British singer Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger and Italian singer Laura Pausini.
Jennifer Hudson will perform the United States national anthem before kick-off.
This year’s FIFA World Cup already had many ‘firsts’. It is the first time three countries jointly hosted the games. The games were also longer, with 48 teams participating across 104 matches across the 16 host cities.
