Madonna, Shakira, and BTS to Headline 2026 World Cup Final Halftime Show

In a major cultural milestone, Global Citizen has officially confirmed that music titans Madonna, Shakira, and BTS will headline the inaugural halftime show at the FIFA World Cup final. The groundbreaking performance is scheduled for Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and is slated to run for an electrifying 11 minutes.

The announcement arrived in a playful digital short featuring Coldplay’s Chris Martin alongside iconic characters from The Muppets and Sesame Street. The whimsical reveal even included a surprise FaceTime cameo with the members of BTS.

For Shakira, this performance arrives on the heels of her 2026 World Cup anthem, “Dai Dai,” a collaboration with Burna Boy. The Colombian superstar is currently preparing to launch her highly anticipated Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, with key stops in the New York area aligning perfectly with the championship match.

Madonna is similarly entering a high-profile season as she prepares for the July 3 release of Confessions II, the successor to her legendary 2005 dance-floor masterpiece. Fans have already received a preview of the album through her collaborative single with Sabrina Carpenter, “Bring Your Love.”

Meanwhile, BTS continues their monumental comeback following their military service hiatus. Their latest studio album, ARIRANG, dominated the Billboard 200, holding the top spot for three consecutive weeks. The group is currently in the midst of an extensive global tour that will keep them on the road well into 2027.

Curated by Global Citizen in partnership with Chris Martin, the halftime spectacle aims to shine a spotlight on global education initiatives. This collaboration builds upon their successful work at last year’s Club World Cup, which featured performances by Doja Cat, J Balvin, and Tems.

This star-studded event follows the recent unveiling of the World Cup’s opening ceremony lineup, which includes performances by Katy Perry, Future, Tyla, LISA, and Anitta across host cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

While this marks the debut of a halftime show for the World Cup final, both Madonna and Shakira are seasoned veterans of high-stakes performance, having previously headlined the Super Bowl halftime show in 2012 and 2020, respectively.