- The 2026 World Cup final will feature the first-ever halftime show
- Coldplay will help curate the performance with Global Citizen
- The tournament kicks off on June 11, 2026, with 48 teams
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has announced that the 2026 Men’s World Cup final, to be hosted in the United States, will feature a halftime show for the first time in the tournament’s history.
The 2026 World Cup will be co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, with the final scheduled to take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19, 2026. This marks the first instance of a halftime show during the World Cup final, a tradition that has been absent since the competition’s inception in 1930. Infantino revealed this news at a World Cup event in Dallas.
“I can confirm the first-ever halftime show at a FIFA World Cup final in New York/New Jersey, in association with Global Citizen,” Infantino shared in an Instagram post on Wednesday. “This will be a historic moment for the FIFA World Cup and a show worthy of the biggest sporting event in the world.”
Along with the advocacy group Global Citizen, Infantino announced that FIFA would collaborate with the British band Coldplay to help organize the halftime show. Coldplay, who performed at the 2016 Super Bowl halftime show and brought on artists like Bruno Mars and Beyoncé as special guests, will assist in curating the list of performers. While Infantino didn’t confirm whether Coldplay would perform themselves, the band’s involvement in shaping the show was emphasized.
The official rules of soccer, set by the International Football Association Board, stipulate that halftime should last no longer than 15 minutes, and it’s unclear whether this rule will be adjusted to accommodate the performance, similar to how Super Bowl halftime shows are handled.
FIFA has stated that no additional details about the halftime show have been revealed at this time. While World Cup finals have never featured a halftime show, music has been a part of major soccer events in the past. Recent World Cup tournaments have included official songs, and musical performances have been a fixture at Champions League finals, such as Lenny Kravitz’s performance before last year’s final at Wembley. However, some performances, like Camila Cabello’s at the 2022 Champions League final, have been met with mixed reactions.
The 2026 World Cup will kick off with the opening match in Mexico City at the Estadio Azteca on June 11, 2026. The tournament will feature 104 matches, with the expansion to 48 teams from the previous 32.
In addition to the halftime show, Infantino revealed that New York’s Times Square would be “taken over” for both the third-place playoff and the final, promising even more spectacle for the event.
