Shakira, Madonna, BTS announced as World Cup final halftime performers

Astronomical ticket and travel costs, an ongoing geopolitical chaos, and the promise of ICE agents at matches have already thrown World Cup planning into chaos. Now, FIFA has added a halftime show to the event, the first of its kind, according to FIFA president Gianni Infantino. “This will be a historic moment for the Fifa World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world,” he added on Instagram. 

On July 19 at MetLife Stadium, in-between halves, BTS, Madonna, and Shakira will take the stage. The trio was chosen by Coldplay’s Christ Martin, who took to social media this week to tell a slew of children’s characters, including Elmo and the Muppets, that the concert will raise funds for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund. The show itself will be produced by Global Citizen, a nonprofit that puts on festivals and concerts to raise money for charitable issues, and is set to mimic the 2024 Copa America in Miami (which also featured a performance from Shakira). 

While showing Elmo a video of BTS, Martin said that the performance would be “a chance to show how amazing all different kinds of humans are.” The mixture of artists is meant to appeal to global viewers; Madonna and Shakira have both performed at the Super Bowl, and BTS remain one of the world’s largest musical acts after reuniting earlier this year. Shakira recently released the World Cup tournament’s official song, “Dai Dai,” alongside Burna Boy, and Madonna has a new album on the way in July. 

The soccer competition is bringing in a lot of star-power for its opening ceremonies: the United States will feature Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema, and Tyla, Canada plans to highlight Alanis Morissette and Michael Bublé, and Mexico is calling on Maná and J Balvin. FIFA also has plans to “take over” Times Square during the World Cup finale. Shakira has performed at two previous World Cup finals, in 2006 and 2014. 

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