FIFA Announces Halftime Show and Opening Ceremonies for 2026 World Cup

FIFA has announced the first halftime show for a World Cup final, set for MetLife Stadium in New Jersey during the 2026 tournament. Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin will curate the performance, which features BTS, Madonna and Shakira. Shakira plans to release the official World Cup song "Dai Dai" later Thursday. The show will raise funds for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund to improve access to quality education and football for children worldwide.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup returns to North America and the United States for the first time since 1994. FOX will broadcast the entire tournament. Opening matches start June 11 in Mexico, with Mexico hosting South Africa in Mexico City and South Korea facing Croatia in Guadalajara.

The next day, the other two host nations play their group stage openers. Canada meets Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto in Group B. The US Men's National Team, after a tough stretch of recent friendlies, faces Paraguay in Los Angeles. The Americans then travel to Seattle to play Australia on June 19 and close group play against Turkey back in Los Angeles on June 25.

FIFA outlined entertainment for opening ceremonies across the host countries. The Los Angeles event on June 12, 90 minutes before the US match, stars Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema and Tyla.

"This opening ceremony in Los Angeles represents the extraordinary scale of what the FIFA World Cup 2026 will become," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement. "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."

Toronto's opening match will include performances by Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream and William Prince. In Mexico, headliners are Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, Maná and Tyla.

Past World Cup finals have featured performers such as Carlos Santana and Wyclef Jean in Brazil in 2014, Will Smith at the 2018 final in Russia, and Davido, Aisha and Ozuna at the 2022 closing ceremony in Qatar.