Coldplay Working With FIFA On Producing World Cup Final Halftime Show

Music has always been a part of the FIFA World Cup with artists writing anthems to commemorate the tournament, but the two will meet on the pitch for the first time in 2026. Coldplay is working with FIFA and curating a Super Bowl-like halftime show for the final match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed the news on his Instagram page March 5 and said having a halftime show “will be a historic moment for the FIFA World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world.”

Infantino also mentioned a “takeover” of Times Square during the final weekend that will feature additional live performances. The 2026 FIFA World Cup final is scheduled for July 19 at the Meadowlands.

“My thanks of course to Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans and his incredible team for helping us put together these amazing shows,” Infantino said. “I also want to thank Chris Martin and Phil Harvey of Coldplay, who will be working with us at FIFA to [finalize] the list of artists who will perform during the [halftime] show, as well as at Times Square.”

Next year’s FIFA World Cup will be the first to take place on American soil since 1994. Canada and Mexico are co-hosting the tournament, but 11 of the 16 stadiums tasked with putting on the matches are in the U.S.

In addition to having the tournament’s first-ever halftime show, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will also be the biggest with 48 teams and 104 matches across 39 days. FIFA had expanded from 24 nations to 32 in 1998.

FIFA also announced yesterday that the International Broadcast Center for the competition will be in Dallas, Texas. The city previously served as the IBC host for the 1994 World Cup.