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

FIFA is going all out for its first-ever World Cup Final halftime show, announcing Madonna, Shakira and BTS as performers late Wednesday.

The Queen of Pop, Latin megastar and K-pop legends will take the stage during the final match, which takes place July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

This summer’s tournament is already a historic one for the competition. FIFA expanded it to 48 teams for the first time, and it is taking a page from the Super Bowl in adding major music acts to the spectacle that is a World Cup Final.

Madonna recently announced a new album and made a surprise appearance during Sabrina Carpenter’s set at Coachella. Shakira and BTS are currently touring and will likely finish among the top-grossing performers of 2026.

Such a lineup could boost the ratings for the final match. The 2022 final between Argentina and France drew 570.8 million viewers, according to FIFA.

Coldplay’s Chris Martin is curating the halftime show produced by Global Citizen. He announced the lineup on Instagram with a video featuring characters from Sesame Street and The Muppets. He tells Elmo that the halftime show is an opportunity to “show how amazing all different kinds of humans are.” The show will also raise funds for the Global Citizen Education Fund.

Martin also curated the unique halftime show during the FIFA Club World Cup final last June at MetLife Stadium, headlined by Doja Cat, J Balvin and Tems.

Earlier this week, FIFA unveiled the list of performers for the opening ceremonies in each host nation. The first official match takes place June 11 at Mexico City’s iconic Azteca Stadium, and Alejandro Fernández, legendary Latin pop rock band Maná, Lila Downs, Danny Ocean, Belinda, J Balvin and Los Ángeles Azules will be part of that opening ceremony.

The U.S. opener against Paraguay on June 12 will be preceded by special performances by Katy Perry, rapper Future, South African star Tyla, Brazilian Singer Anitta and Rema.

Canada also opens the tournament June 12, taking on Bosnia Herzegovina at Toronto’s BMO Field. Their opening ceremony features Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, Vegedream, William Prince and Sanjoy.

_Originally reported by [Pollstar](https://news.pollstar.com/2026/05/14/madonna-shakira-bts-headlining-first-ever-fifa-world-cup-final-halftime-show/)._