FIFA unveils first World Cup final halftime show with Madonna, Shakira, BTS, Bieber

FIFA added Justin Bieber to Madonna, Shakira and BTS on Wednesday, locking in the first halftime show in World Cup final history. The performance will take place on Sunday, July 19, 2026, at New York New Jersey Stadium, also known as MetLife Stadium, with Coldplay co-founder Chris Martin curating the show and Global Citizen, Live Nation and Done + Dusted producing it.

The move pushes FIFA closer to a U.S.-style mega-entertainment model, where the championship itself becomes only one part of a larger broadcast package. FIFA says the show will be streamed live to a potential audience of billions, and it has cast the event as a mix of sport, music and social impact rather than a break in play.

That social-impact pitch is tied to the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which is designed to raise $100 million for access to quality education and football for children worldwide. Global Citizen said the fund had already passed $30 million when the halftime show was announced, and FIFA pledged that $1 from every ticket sold for World Cup 2026 matches will go to the campaign.

The scale of the lineup underscores the commercial ambition behind the project. Madonna, Shakira, BTS and Bieber span pop markets in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia, giving FIFA a global marketing engine built around some of the most recognizable names in music. FIFA and Global Citizen first unveiled the halftime show on May 14 in New York, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Global Citizen chief executive Hugh Evans, Shakira and Kaká present.

For FIFA, the final in the United States, Canada and Mexico is no longer just a match. It is being packaged as a broad entertainment property, with charity built into the sales pitch and a production scale closer to the Super Bowl than to the traditional World Cup final. The question now is whether the education fund will stand as a meaningful civic outcome, or simply serve as the philanthropic frame for a larger spectacle.