Madonna, Shakira, and BTS Are Headlining the First-Ever FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show, and the Internet Is Losing It

Entertainment
The Buzz Nepal
May 14 , 2026

Football has always been the show. For 96 years, halftime was just a break. In 2026, it became a moment.

In the entire 96-year history of the FIFA World Cup, there has never been a halftime show at the final. The Super Bowl has had one for decades. The NBA Finals has its moments. But football, the world’s most watched sport, always let the game speak for itself. That changes on July 19, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — and FIFA did not go small for its debut.

Madonna, Shakira, and BTS will headline the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final halftime show, introducing a Super Bowl-style performance to the tournament for the first time in its history. The announcement was made today in one of the most charming reveal videos in recent memory.Coldplay’sChris Martin was joined by Elmo, Miss Piggy, Kermit the Frog, and Animal to share the news across social media, with the unlikely ensemble calling upBTSon FaceTime to confirm their inclusion. It is exactly as delightful as it sounds.

The halftime show is being curated by Chris Martin alongside Global Citizen, with the performance set to raise funds for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, a landmark initiative working to raise $100 million to expand access to qualityeducationand football for children worldwide. The fund has already raised more than $30 million, with $1 from every ticket sold to World Cup matches being donated throughout the tournament.

Martin described the show as being “more about we than me,” adding that it is about togetherness. For a tournament that will bring together 48 nations across three host countries, that sentiment could not be more fitting. The show is expected to clock in at approximately 11 minutes.

Shakira — The Anthem We All Sing To

If there is one artist whose name is synonymous with the FIFA World Cup, it is Shakira. She performed Waka Waka, the iconic 2010 World Cup anthem, during the tournament in South Africa, a song that became one of the most recognizable pieces of sports music in history.

Sixteen years later, she is back. Shakira released Dai Dai, the official song of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, today, featuring Nigerian artist Burna Boy. The combination of her history with the tournament, the release of the official anthem, and now a halftime show headlining slot makes 2026 Shakira’s World Cup in a way that belongs to no other artist. She has earned every second of that stage.

Madonna — The Most Iconic Live Performer in Pop History

Few artists have a live performance legacy that rivals Madonna’s. Over four decades, she has redefined what a pop concert can be, building a reputation as one of the most commanding and fearless performers in music. While Madonna has not had a direct World Cup connection in the way Shakira has, her presence at the halftime show of the world’s most watched sporting event is a statement in itself.

A performer of her caliber does not need a prior connection to the tournament. She brings her own gravity wherever she performs, and on July 19 at MetLife Stadium, that gravity will be felt by hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide.

BTS — The Global Phenomenon Transcending Borders

BTS is not just a pop group. They are a cultural force that has spent the better part of a decade dismantling every assumption about what global pop music looks like, where it comes from, and who it belongs to.

In 2022, BTS member Jungkook performed at the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, debuting Dreamers, the official song of the tournament, live at Al Bayt Stadium alongside Qatari singer Fahad Al-Kubaisi. The performance was one of the most watched moments of the entire tournament opening, and Dreamers became one of the defining anthems of that World Cup.

Four years later, the group returns — not as a solo member at the opening ceremony, but as the full group headlining the final halftime show. That is the testament to their impact and reach. Their fanbase, theARMY, spans every continent and every demographic, and on July 19 at MetLife Stadium, they bring all of that energy to the biggest stage in sport.