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Infantino had also stated that Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin and band manager Phil Harvey will help to establish a set of artists to perform in the 15-minute break at next year’s final.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup final is set to take place in the MetLife Stadium, New Jersey (X)
Gianni Infantino would love to swear that he doesn’t love the drama, but rather the drama likes him. Well, he’s sure found more of it now.
FIFA President Infantino announced that the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup final, taking place in the United States, shall have a Super Bowl- style halftime show, breaking from tradition in the hopes of breaking through new barriers.
MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which was announced in February 2024 as the venue that will stage the World Cup final, set to take place on July 19, 2026, will bear witness to the historic event.
The decision to add the half-time show, alongside separate events at Times Square during the final weekend of the tournament, was announced at the FIFA Commercial & Media Partners Convention in Dallas on Wednesday and was announced by Infantino through Instagram.
“I can confirm the first ever half-time show at a FIFA World Cup final in New York, New Jersey, in association with Global Citizen. This will be a historic moment for the FIFA World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world,” Infantino announced through a post on Instagram.
“We also spoke about how FIFA will take over Times Square for the final weekend of the FIFA World Cup in 2026, during both the bronze final match and final,” he added.
Much has been asked about how a halftime show could be set up for a football match, whose break only lasts 15 minutes, compared to that of a Super Bowl, whose break lasts between 25 to 30 minutes.
But Infantino had also stated that Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin and band manager Phil Harvey will help to establish a set of artists to perform in the 15-minute break at next year’s final.
“I also want to thank Chris Martin and Phil Harvey of Coldplay, who will be working with us at FIFA to finalise the list of artists who will perform during the halftime show, as well as at Times Square,” he added.
The 48-team 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will run from June 11 to July 19, 2026. The tournament will feature 104 matches instead of the previous 64 games, including an additional knockout round.
