Madonna, Shakira, and BTS will take the Metlife Stadium stage on July 19, as the World Cup final presents its inaugural halftime show. The grand unveiling has been on the cards since 2024, when, at its annual New York festival, Global Citizen announced a four-year partnership with the soccer body FIFA. Global Citizen mainstay Chris Martin selected the acts for the show—enlisting Sesame Street characters to help with the announcement, as you can see below—and, given his prolific record as the world’s surprise guest, may well turn up during the show.
Hosted in North America and starting next month, the FIFA World Cup has unveiled multiple music performances in the buildup to today’s announcement, heralding a switch to Super Bowl-style spectacle at the soccer tournament. In another first, a star-studded opening ceremony will feature the likes of Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, and Lisa. Last month, Shakira continued the prolific streak that has followed her admission of massive tax evasion by releasing an official World Cup anthem, in the form of “Dai Dai.”
Last year, FIFA’s newer Club World Cup event hosted a trial run of sorts, in the form of a halftime show co-headlined by Doja Cat, Tems, and J Balvin. The events are in aid of the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, founded to help children around the world access good education and soccer.
