Madonna and Justin Bieber to perform at first World Cup final half-time show
Madonna, Shakira and Justin Bieber are among the star-studded lineup set to perform in the first ever World Cup final half-time show.
The trio will be joined by Nigerian singer Burna Boy as well as Korean pop group BTS for the landmark performance on Sunday at the New York New Jersey Stadium.
The BBC and ITV will broadcast the half-time show in full along with its regular analysis from pundits on either side of the performance.
The controversial show is the first of its kind for the international football tournament and is expected to break Fifa’s rules by extending the interval from a typical 15 minutes to up to 25 minutes.
Shakira and Burna Boy are expected to perform their World Cup 2026 anthem, Dai Dai, with Madonna appearing on stage weeks after releasing her number one album, Confessions II.
The show will also see BTS perform months after returning to the world stage following their four-year hiatus to allow the group’s seven members to complete their country’s compulsory military service.
Meanwhile Bieber, known for hits such as Baby, will join just months after his viral headline set at Coachella music festival which included him revisiting old videos of himself on YouTube and a duet with his younger self to the California-crowd.
Curated by Coldplay frontman, Chris Martin, the show will also include Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, the PS 22 Chorus and characters from Sesame Street and The Muppets.
Half-time entertainment has become a major feature of sporting events in the US, notably during the Super Bowl.
The show will be staged in support of the Fifa Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative working to raise 100 million US dollars (£75 million) to expand access to education and football for children around the world.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino previously described the performance as a “groundbreaking spectacle” that will “celebrate football, music and our shared values, ensuring a legacy that transcends the final whistle”.
Prior to the show, a string of stars will appear for the tournament’s closing ceremony, including Hollywood actor Tom Cruise, pop star Robbie Williams and US singer Jennifer Hudson.
The event will take place 90 minutes before kick-off and will also feature performances from Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger, Italian singer-songwriter Laura Pausini and streamer IShowSpeed – with Hudson set to deliver a rendition of the US national anthem.
Spain will take on Argentina in the final on Sunday.
Published: by Radio NewsHub
