FIFA World Cup final to host first half-time show

The 2026 FIFA World Cup final will include a Super Bowl-style half-time show for the first time, it has been confirmed.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has announced that Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and manager Phil Harvey will help select the list of acts who will perform during the 15-minute window at the international football showpiece.

Advocacy organisation Global Citizen will co-produce the event, which will take place on 19 July at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, US.

“I can confirm the first ever half-time show at a FIFA World Cup final in New York New Jersey, in association with Global Citizen,” says Infantino in an Instagram post. “This will be a historic moment for the FIFA World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world.

“We also spoke about how FIFA will takeover Times Square for the final weekend of the FIFA World Cup in 2026, during both the bronze final match and final. These will be two incredible matches, featuring some of the best players in the world, and what better way to celebrate them than in the historic Times Square in New York City.

“I also want to thank Chris Martin and Phil Harvey of Coldplay, who will be working with us at FIFA to finalise the list of artists who will perform”

“My thanks of course to Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans and his incredible team, for helping us put together these amazing shows. I also want to thank Chris Martin and Phil Harvey of Coldplay, who will be working with us at FIFA to finalise the list of artists who will perform during the half time show, as well as at Times Square.”

The 2026 World Cup will be jointly hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, with the majority of matches to be held in the United States.

Pre-match live performances are already established for the UEFA Champions League final – the biggest game in European club football – whose opening ceremony has welcomed the likes of Lenny Kravitz, Imagine Dragons, Dua Lipa, Alicia Keys and Camila Cabello.

According to the NFL, Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance last month averaged 133.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched Super Bowl halftime performance on record.

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