Shakira, Madonna and BTS co-headline first-ever World Cup Final halftime show

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, the world’s biggest sporting event, is just weeks away and returns to North America and the United States for the first time since 1994.

FIFA announced the halftime show of the World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. In a post featuring Elmo on X, Coldplay announced that the halftime show will be curated by lead vocalist Chris Martin and will feature BTS, Madonna and Shakira. Shakira will release the official song of the World Cup, “Dai Dai,” later Thursday.

The show will also “raise funds for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund”, which is dedicated to “increasing access to quality education and football for children around the world”.

FOX is broadcasting the entire tournament, with the opening matches kicking off on June 11 in Mexico. El Tri will host South Africa in Mexico City, while South Korea will host Croatia in Guadalajara.

(LR) BTS’s V, Suga, Jin, Jungkook, RM, Jimin and J-Hope attend the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards held at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 03, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Then the next day the other two hosts will play their first group stage matches. Canada will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto in Group B. Then, the US Men’s National Team, which has come off tough preparation matches over the last few months, will play its first match against Paraguay in Los Angeles. They will then travel to Seattle to play Australia on June 19 and close out the group stage against Türkiye in Los Angeles on June 25.

Given the scale and scope of the tournament and its bids to stage a stage in the US, it’s no surprise that FIFA has pulled out all the entertainment stops.

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The FIFA World Cup Trophy is displayed in front of the White House in Washington DC ahead of the FIFA World Cup Draw on December 2, 2025. (Michael Regan/FIFA)

Already football’s governing body has prepared an extensive list of entertainment to kick off the tournament in the host countries. Musical artists such as Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema and Tyla will attend the opening ceremony to be held in Los Angeles on June 12.

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

SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles is one of 16 stadiums selected to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 11 of which are in the United States. (Getty Images)

This ceremony will begin 90 minutes before the start of the USA game and will complement the two opening ceremonies in Canada and Mexico. Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream and William Prince will perform at the opening match in Toronto.

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In Mexico, opening ceremony headliners include Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, Maná and Tyla.

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Shakira will perform at the 2025 Suenos Music Festival in Chicago’s Grant Park on May 24, 2025. (Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP)

Previous performers at World Cup finals include stars such as Carlos Santana and Wycleaf Jean at the 2014 tournament in Brazil. Will Smith was among those singing at the 2018 final in Russia, and Davido, Aisha and Ozuna appeared at the 2022 closing ceremony in Qatar.

More than 100 matches. It is hosted by 16 cities in three countries. More than a month of action culminated in an important finale in New Jersey. The World Cup can never be a success.