A new historical landmark was attained by FIFA at the 2026 World Cup, by staging the first halftime show in a World Cup final. Turning football’s biggest match into a global music spectacle during the finale between Argentina and Spain at the MetLife Stadium.
Global music stars Madonna, Shakira, Burna Boy, Justin Bieber, Coldplay and BTS headlined the performance. They were joined by conductor Gustavo Dudamel, musicians from the New York Philharmonic and Venezuela’s SimĂłn BolĂvar Symphony Orchestra, Iranian violinist Bijan Mortazavi, New York’s PS22 Chorus, Uganda’s Ghetto Kids, singer Emmanuel Kelly, and characters from Sesame Street and The Muppets.
Queen of Pop-Madonna opened the show with a dramatic entrance, arriving beneath the stadium in a dune buggy driven by Brazilian football legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho before launching into a rendition of her hit song “Music”. The show also paid tribute to Brazilian football icon PelĂ©, with archival footage from his farewell appearance at the former Giants Stadium in New Jersey.
Momentum rose as Shakira and Burna Boy reunited to perform the official song of the 2026 FIFA World Cup-Dai Dai, accompanied by Uganda’s Ghetto Kids dancers. Before kick-off, Post Malone headlined the closing ceremony, while Jennifer Hudson performed the United States national anthem. Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger and Laura Pausini also appeared, with actor Tom Cruise delivering a message celebrating football’s ability to unite people across the world.
The maiden halftime performance was curated by Coldplay front man Chris Martin in partnership with Global Citizen, produced by Live Nation and Done + Dusted, directed by veteran live event producer Hamish Hamilton. The show blended music, football and philanthropy on the sport’s biggest stage. It was organized in support of the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which aims to raise $100 million to expand access to quality education and football opportunities for children around the world. Before Sunday’s final, the initiative had raised more than $60 million through ticket contributions, corporate support and private donations, with FIFA announcing grants for 58 organisations expected to reach about 400,000 children worldwide.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup final concluded the first 48-team edition of the tournament, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
PICTURE SOURCE: Metro
