FIFA announced an unprecedented halftime show for the World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, marking the first time the international soccer organization will stage a Super Bowl-style entertainment spectacle during its championship match. BTS, Madonna and Shakira will co-headline the performance, with Coldplay's Chris Martin serving as curator, in a move that signals FIFA's expansion into American-style sports entertainment and its growing commercial ambitions on U.S. soil.
Shakira is set to release the official song of the World Cup, "Dai Dai," later Thursday. The halftime show will also raise funds for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which is dedicated to improving access to quality education and football for children around the world.
Opening Ceremonies Across Three Host Nations
FIFA said the opening ceremony in Los Angeles on June 12 will feature music acts including Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema and Tyla, and that the ceremony will begin 90 minutes before the start of the U.S. match. The opening match in Toronto will feature performances by Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream and William Prince. In Mexico, opening ceremony headliners include Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, Maná and Tyla.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement that the opening ceremony in Los Angeles represents "the extraordinary scale of what the FIFA World Cup 2026 will become" and that "the lineup of artists reflects the cultural diversity of the United States and the vibrancy of its many diasporas, highlighting the nation's rich influence on music, entertainment and pop culture, while showcasing the power of music to bring people together across the country."
Tournament Structure and Broadcasting
FOX broadcasts the entire tournament, with opening matches kicking off on June 11 in Mexico. El Tri hosts South Africa in Mexico City, while South Korea takes on Croatia in Guadalajara. The next day, Canada plays Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto in Group B, and the U.S. Men's National Team plays its first match against Paraguay in Los Angeles before heading to Seattle to play Australia on June 19 and closing out the group stage against Turkey back in Los Angeles on June 25.
The tournament will feature over 100 matches in 16 cities hosting in three countries over more than a month, culminating in a finale in New Jersey. Prior performers at World Cup finals include Carlos Santana and Wycleaf Jean at the 2014 tournament in Brazil, Will Smith at the 2018 finale in Russia, and Davido, Aisha and Ozuna at the 2022 closing ceremony in Qatar.
Why This Matters:
FIFA's decision to introduce a halftime show represents a significant shift in the World Cup's commercial strategy and its adaptation to American sports entertainment conventions. The three-nation tournament structure, spanning 16 cities and over 100 matches, creates substantial economic opportunities for host cities through tourism, hospitality, and infrastructure utilization. FOX's broadcast rights position American media companies to capitalize on what is expected to be one of the most-watched sporting events in history. The expansion of entertainment programming around the matches reflects FIFA's recognition that American audiences expect integrated spectacle alongside athletic competition, potentially setting a template for future international sporting events and demonstrating how market forces shape even traditionally European-dominated institutions.