2026 World Cup final to feature first-ever halftime show

FIFA World Cup Final to Feature First-Ever Halftime Show Curated by Coldplay

FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed this week that the 2026 World Cup Final will include a halftime show for the first time in the tournament’s 96-year history. Speaking at the Semafor World Economy summit in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Infantino said the show at MetLife Stadium on July 19 will feature multiple artists, though he declined to reveal the lineup.yahoo

“For the first time in history, we will have a halftime show at the World Cup final,” Infantino told Semafor. He added that the performance is “curated by Chris Martin and Coldplay” and promised it “will be the biggest show on earth.”goal

A Super Bowl-Style Spectacle for Soccer

The halftime show will be produced by Global Citizen in partnership with FIFA, with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and the band’s manager Phil Harvey shaping the artist lineup. Infantino teased that “more than one” artist will perform but said he could not yet disclose names.thesportstak

The collaboration was first announced in March 2025, when Infantino posted on Instagram confirming that Martin and Harvey would help FIFA “finalize the roster of artists set to perform during the halftime show, as well as in Times Square.” The Athletic reported at the time that FIFA had initially revealed plans for a halftime performance in September 2024.billboard

Building on the Club World Cup Blueprint

The World Cup final halftime show follows a successful trial run at last summer’s FIFA Club World Cup, where Global Citizen produced a halftime performance during the final at MetLife Stadium on July 13, 2025. That show featured J Balvin, Doja Cat, and Tems as headliners, with Martin himself making a surprise appearance to perform “A Sky Full of Stars.”fifa

Both events are tied to the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative aiming to raise $100 million to improve access to education and football programs for children worldwide. The World Cup edition is expected to dwarf the Club World Cup version in scale, given the final will be broadcast to an audience of billions.fifa

Historically, the World Cup final has reserved its halftime break strictly for the teams. By importing a format familiar to American audiences through the NFL’s Super Bowl, FIFA is making a pointed bid to marry global football with mainstream entertainment as it hosts the tournament across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.nytimes