BTS, Madonna, Shakira to headline the World Cup final's halftime show

Ralphie Aversa, USA TODAYThu, May 14, 2026 at 4:18 AM UTC

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On July 19, MetLife Stadium in New Jersey will welcome more stars to the field than just the two national soccer teams who make it to the World Cup final.

For the first time in its nearly 100-year-history, the championship match will feature a Super Bowl-style halftime show. FIFA and nonprofit Global Citizen announced the lineup May 14.

K-pop supergroup BTS, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Madonna and Columbian singer-songwriter Shakira will headline the entertainment spectacle.

Colombian singer Shakira performs during a free concert at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 2, 2026. (Photo by Pablo PORCIUNCULA / AFP via Getty Images)

Shakira, the best-selling female Latin artist of all time, is no stranger to the World Cup. The Grammy-winner released "Dai Dai," the official song of the 2026 World Cup, May 14. The single features Nigerian artist Burna Boy. Shakira also sang the 2010 World Cup anthem "Waka Waka" when the tournament was held in South Africa.

Global Citizen will produce the halftime show, with assistance from Coldplay's Chris Martin, who is also no stranger to FIFA. Martin also assisted Global Citizen with the first-ever FIFA Club World Cup final halftime show, which took place in 2025 for professional clubs (vs. national teams) at MetLife Stadium. In addition to performances from J. Balvin, Doja Cat and Tems, Coldplay surprised the audience with a rendition of "A Sky Full of Stars."

Martin joined Global Citizen, a nonprofit that aims to end world hunger, in 2015 as its international festival curator.

Who else will perform at the 2026 World Cup?

FIFA will host three opening ceremonies, one for each of the host country's (Mexico, the United States and Canada) opening match in the group stages. Each will feature performances from some of the top music artists representing the host nations and their opponents.

Rockers Maná, Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules and South African singer Tyla will perform at the June 11 game in Mexico City.

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Katy Perry will perform at the US opener June 12 in Los Angeles, along with Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema and Tyla.

Canadians Michael Bublé, Alanis Morissette and Alessia Cara will hit the stage at the June 12 kickoff match in Toronto. Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream and William Prince will also perform.

FIFA is releasing an official album, including the single "Lighter" by Jelly Roll, Carín León and Cirkut.

Who performed at the 1994 World Cup Final?

The 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, is the second time that World Cup games will be played in the States. The US hosted the 1994 World Cup, an event that drew over 3.5 million fans to venues across the country. It led directly to the creation of Major League Soccer. And according to the then-head of US Soccer, almost produced the first halftime show.

"We had Whitney Houston to do the halftime show," Alan Rothenberg, former president of US Soccer who oversaw that World Cup, said to USA TODAY. "We wanted to do it Super Bowl-style. FIFA would not allow us to do it."

Instead, Houston performed during the closing ceremony, which was originally scheduled to take place 50 minutes before the final match. According to the Los Angeles Times, FIFA executives were concerned with the players having enough time to warm up, so the start time for the ceremony was moved up an additional half hour.

"We just did everything and anything under the sun to make it more than just a soccer tournament," Rothenberg continued. "Obviously, we were successful. The result is a lot of people who became interested in the tournament became soccer fans."

Contributing: Nancy Armour, USA TODAY; Victoria Hernandez, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: BTS, Madonna, Shakira to make World Cup history with halftime show

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