By Jailene Giron
The countdown to the start of the World Cup is in its closing stretch and with this new details have been revealed about the musical performances scheduled for the sporting event. With great fanfare, It was confirmed that Madonna, Shakira and BTS will lead the halftime show at the World Cup final, the first in the history of this football festival.
In a statement, FIFA stressed that with this addition of talent, the final scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey could exceed the figure of 500 million live viewers that was reached during the 2022 World Cup edition.
And the artists have a wide repertoire and experience that supports the expectation that their next performance has already generated. Madonna was the featured performer at the Perfect Bowl halftime show in 2012, and Shakira shared the stage with Jennifer Lopez at the 2020 Perfect Bowl, while South Korean band BTS has performed on the world’s biggest stages with their “Arirang” tour.
The selection of artists was carried out by Chris Martin, vocalist of the group Coldplay, who celebrated the incorporation of this half-time demonstration with a video on social networks starring characters from Sesame Street and The Muppets.
“It is an opportunity to show how incredible all human beings are”explains Martin to Elmo within the audiovisual broadcast on the official FIFA platforms.
Likewise, the announcement confirmed that the incorporation of the part-time demonstration It not only aims to liven up the last big match of the World Cup, but also to have a social impact positive.
For this reason, they joined forces with Global Citizen, a non-profit organization that organizes large concerts to make social problems such as hunger and poverty visible.
“Curated by Chris Martin of Coldplay and produced by Global Citizen, the show will raise funds for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, improving access to quality education and football for children around the world“, it was revealed.
FIFA and Global Citizen piloted MetLife Stadium last summer with a halftime show at the FIFA Club World Cup final, featuring American rapper Doja Cat, Nigerian singer Tems and Colombian artist J Balvin.
Katy Perry, Belinda and more celebrities will headline the opening ceremonies of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
The World Cup will begin on June 11 at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, where the public will see the host team face off against South Africa. For the occasion, there will be performances by the rock band Maná, Alejandro Fernández, Belinda and Los Ángeles Azules.
For its part, Michael Bublé, Alanis Morissette and Alessia Cara for the demonstration that will take place in Canada’s first group stage match against Bosnia and Herzegovinascheduled for June 12 in Toronto.
For the event in the United States, where the team will face Paraguay at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Katy Perry will be the main artist. The games will be broadcast in the United States on Fox and Telemundo.
Continue reading:
• Shakira performs “Dai Dai”, the official theme of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
• Katy Perry, Maná and more celebrities will headline the opening ceremonies of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
• Daddy Yankee and Shenseea come together in “Echo”, the third single from the 2026 World Cup
