Justin Bieber is heading for football’s biggest stage, joining Madonna, Shakira and BTS for the first FIFA World Cup final halftime show.
The Canadian pop star has been added to the line-up for the July 19 performance at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The 11-minute show is being curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and is set to bring a Super Bowl-style pop spectacle into the final of the 2026 tournament.
Bieber said in a statement: “The Fifa World Cup brings the world together in a way nothing else can. I’m grateful to be part of this halftime show, and even more grateful knowing it’s already helping expand access to education for children around the world.”
The bill is already packed. Burna Boy, conductor Gustavo Dudamel, the PS22 Chorus performing with Coldplay, and Sesame Street’s Muppets are also scheduled to appear during the show.
The performance is tied to the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which aims to raise $100 million to expand access to education and football for children. More than $30 million has already been raised, and $1 from every ticket sold for 2026 World Cup matches is being donated to the fund.
Not everyone is cheering the idea of halftime razzmatazz at a World Cup final. Noel Gallagher recently said he would not be watching and joked he would be “doing the half-time raffle for a leg of lamb” instead.
Gallagher added: “They’re not really football people who are performing anyway, are they?”
