The 2026 FIFA World Cup is a historic tournament for many reasons. For the first time ever, 48 teams will compete in an expanded format and now, it has been announced that the tournament will have its first ever Final Halftime Show.
NFL Super Bowls are more famous for their iconic half-time shows and FIFA has taken notes. In a historic first, football's biggest stage will see iconic performers coming together for a Final Half-time Show set to take place on July 19, 202 at the New York New Jersey Stadium
The world will witness history as the 2026 FIFA World Cup mesmerises everyone from June 11 to July 19. The most-awaited match, the World Cup Final, will have one more surprise since a Final Halftime Show has been announced.
In the first ever show, iconic performers Shakira, Madonna and BTS will co-headline the event as the magic unfolds. The show has been curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin and produced by Global Citizen. The Final Halftime Show has a noble cause and will raise funds for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.
FIFA announced the news which was received which lot of love and excitement. Elaborating on the cause, the caption read, "A FIFA World Cup first, the Halftime Show supports the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, a landmark initiative working to raise $100 USD million to expand access to quality education and football for children around the world. Throughout the tournament, USD 1 from every ticket sold to FIFA World Cup 2026™ matches will be donated to the Fund."
With a brilliant lineup of artistes, fans are most excited about Shakira, World Cup's very own, who is also releasing the official 2026 World Cup, Dai Dai, today. The Colombian performer has already featured in the World Cup four times including opening and closing ceremonies. She will be joined by the queen Madonna and pop sensation BTS.
FIFA has come up with a slew of brand new events for the historic 2026 World Cup. Besides the Final Halftime Show which promises to be iconic, FIFA has also announced three separate Opening Ceremonies for the 2026 World Cup.
With the football's biggest tournament being hosted across three countries, Canada, Mexico and United States of America, this is the first time that a football World Cup will have three Opening Ceremonies, one to inaugurate the tournament in each country.
"For the first time in FIFA World Cup™ history, three opening ceremonies across Canada, Mexico and the United States will unite the continent in one shared global celebration", FIFA said in their statement.
The lineup, already unveiled by FIFA, features incredible artists from all over the world. Here's a look at them:
Date: June 11, ahead of tournament's opening match between Mexico and South Africa
Venue: Azteca Stadium, Mexico City
Lineup: J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Angeles Azules, Mana, Alejandro Fernandez, Belinda and Danny Ocean
Date: June 12, ahead of the match between Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Venue: Toronto Stadium (BMO Field), Toronto, Ontario
Lineup: Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream, William Prince