MADONNA, SHAKIRA AND BTS ANNOUNCED AS CO-HEADLINERS FOR FIRST EVER HALFTIME SHOW AT THE 2026 WORLD CUP FINAL

The 2026 World Cup final will take place on Sunday, July 19, at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey

Shakira, BTS and Madonna.
Credit : Kevin Mazur/Getty; Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty; Marc Nader/ZUMA Wire/Shutterstock

The 2026 World Cup final is going to have some global superstars headlining its first ever halftime show.

On Wednesday, May 13, the official FIFA World Cup Instagram account announced that Madonna, Shakira and BTS will be performing at the final in July. 

“On July 19, the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Halftime Show is coming to New York New Jersey Stadium, featuring superstars@madonna ,@shakira , and@bts.bighitofficial , curated by@coldplay ‘s Chris Martin!” the post read.

The tournament’s final will be held at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, with the match kicking off at 3 p.m. ET. 

Madonna performs at Coachella 2026.
Kevin Mazur/Getty

The post added, “A FIFA World Cup first, the Halftime Show supports the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, a landmark initiative working to raise $100 USD million to expand access to quality education and football for children around the world. Throughout the tournament, USD 1 from every ticket sold to FIFA World Cup 2026 matches will be donated to the Fund.”

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin also shared the news in an Instagram video featuring BTS on FaceTime, along with the help of Sesame Street’s Elmo and Muppets characters Kermit, Miss Piggy, Animal, the Cookie Monster and Statler and Waldorf. 

This will be the first time a halftime show has taken place during a World Cup final.

The news comes after Madonna announced her new album Confessions II last month and made a surprise appearance at Coachella during Sabrina Carpenter's headlining set. The Queen of Pop’s new record, a sequel to her 2005 hit album Confessions on a Dancefloor, will be released on July 3.

The 2026 World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico and features 48 teams, begins on June 11 when Mexico take on South Africa. 

Earlier this month, the likes of Katy Perry, J Balvin, Future, Michael Bublé, Tyla and Lisa were announced to be among those performing at the three opening ceremonies of the soccer tournament.

Shakira performing in New York City in September 2025.
Theo Wargo/Getty 

While Perry will headline the U.S. opening ceremony on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, J Blavin will headline the opening ceremony in Mexico City and Bublé, Alanis Morissette and Alessia Cara will co-headline in Toronto.

According to Variety, the soccer World Cup Finals are the most-watched annual sporting event, with the 2022 final drawing in more than 500 million live viewers.

- Kirsty Hatcher

KATY PERRY, FUTURE, LISA, TYLA, AND MORE TO HEADLINE U.S. WORLD CUP OPENING CEREMONY

 OPENING CEREMONY

FIFA will feature a star-powered lineup of performances at the opening games featuring hosts Canada, Mexico and the U.S

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LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 13: Katy Perry performs during her "The Life Of Times" tour on October 13, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Joseph Okpako/WireImage)

The megastars for the opening ceremony of the first World Cup game in the United States have been announced. Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema, and Tyla will headline the celebrations on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The U.S. will face Paraguay in the tournament’s opening match.

Opening celebrations will also be held in Mexico and Toronto on June 11 and June 12 — marking the first time FIFA has featured multiple opening ceremonies across different countries for a single tournament. In Canada, Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatei, Sanjoy, Vegedream and William Prince will take the stage to celebrate the opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina at Toronto’s BMO Field.

Meanwhile, the opening ceremony in Mexico will include J Balvin, Tyla, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, Maná, Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, and Danny Ocean before the tournament opener on June 11 between Mexico and South Africa at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium.

“This opening ceremony in Los Angeles represents the extraordinary scale of what the FIFA World Cup 2026 will become,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement. “The lineup of artists reflects the cultural diversity of the United States and the vibrancy of its many diasporas, highlighting the nation’s rich influence on music, entertainment and pop culture, while showcasing the power of music to bring people together across the country.”

More artists are expected to be announced. Host cities in the U.S. will include Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York/New Jersey. Ceremonies are set to begin 90 minutes before kickoff.

- CHARISMA MADARANG, RollingStone

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