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Madonna, Shakira and BTS to Headline First World Cup Final Halftime Show
Organizers announced that Madonna, Shakira and BTS will headline a Super Bowl-style halftime performance at the 2026 World Cup final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium. The show will raise funds for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.
May 14, 5:38 AM·1m read8 sources
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Organizers announced that Madonna, Shakira and BTS will headline the first halftime show at a FIFA World Cup final. The performance is scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The 2026 tournament is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. The final will conclude the event that begins June 11.
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Coldplay singer Chris Martin and Sesame Street character Elmo revealed the lineup in a video posted to the official Sesame Workshop social media account. Cookie Monster and Animal also appeared in the video. The show is expected to last 11 minutes. Organizers plan to extend the traditional 15-minute halftime interval to accommodate the production.
Shakira will release the official tournament song "Dai Dai" on Thursday. She previously recorded the official songs for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. Madonna is scheduled to release her album "Confessions II" on July 3. BTS is currently on an 85-date world tour after completing mandatory South Korean military service.
One dollar from each World Cup ticket sold will go to the fund. Muppets characters including Cookie Monster, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy are also scheduled to appear. The previous World Cup final drew more than 500 million live viewers.
