Madonna, Shakira And BTS To Headline First Ever FIFA World Cup Halftime Show

The 2026 Fifa World Cup final will feature its first ever halftime show, with Madonna, Shakira and BTS headlining the event. The announcement was made through a special teaser featuring Coldplay singer Chris Martin and Sesame Street character Elmo, along with several familiar Muppet characters.

FIFA also shared that money raised through the show will support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund. According to the announcement, one dollar from every ticket will be donated to the initiative.

Making the official announcement, Chris Martin said, “This year, for the first time, there's a halftime show at the World Cup final. It's where people get together and there's singing and there's dancing and there's music and it's a chance to show how amazing all different kinds of humans are. We get to raise some money for children's education.”

After much discussion, Martin and Elmo, along with Ms Piggy, Kermit and other Muppet characters, chose BTS, Madonna and Shakira to headline the FIFA World Cup final halftime show.

FIFA first brought the idea of a halftime show last year during the Club World Cup, where J Balvin, Doja Cat and Tems performed. The 2025 event and the upcoming World Cup halftime show were created in partnership with Global Citizen and organised by Chris Martin.

The United States hosted its last FIFA World Cup back in 1994, when Brazil won the tournament for the first time since 1970. That event garnered a record breaking crowd of more than 3.5 million. 

For the 2026 tournament, organisers are hoping to attract even more fans and break that attendance record. The tournament is scheduled to begin on June 11 in Mexico City, followed by games taking place across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The final, along with the halftime show, will take place on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.