2026 FIFA World Cup Final to Feature Halftime Show; Artists to Be Curated by Coldplay

The 2026 FIFA World Cup final will feature the first halftime show in the event's history.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed the news in a Tuesday post on Instagram.

"This will be a historic moment for the FIFA World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world," Infantino wrote.

According to Infantino, Chris Martin and Phil Harvey of Coldplay will help FIFA decide who will be performing at the show.

The World Cup final is set to take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday, July 19, 2026.

The weekend leading up to the final will also feature events in New York City. FIFA is preparing a Times Square "takeover" during both the final match and the bronze medal game, according to Infantino.

Martin and Harvey will also help curate a list of performers for the Times Square events, according to Infantino.

The events is being produced Global Citizen, an international advocacy organization with which FIFA announced a four-year agreement in September 2024.

Infantino first announced plans regarding a halftime show when revealing the 12 World Cup host stadiums across the United States during a Global Citizen event last September.

"One of the things I found in America is that the stadiums here are really built for people to have fun, to enjoy, to spend time," Infantino said at the time, per Inside FIFA. "They don’t just go and watch the game and leave, but they stay hours and hours and hours, and I think that’s exactly what we need."

The NFL generally pauses games for 13-minute halftimes. Super Bowl halftimes stretch as long as 30 minutes to accommodate performances.

Infantino has not yet confirmed if FIFA will take more than the usual 15 minutes between the halves of the World Cup final. Timing changes would raise questions as to how players can stay warmed up over the longer break.

The World Cup will take place in 16 cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The tournament kicks off in Guadalajara and Mexico City on Thursday, June 11, 2026.