Shakira calls World Cup final show 'pretty historic'

Shakira is preparing to step onto the World Cup stage for a second time this summer, but the final will look very different from the tournament's opening. On 19 July, she will share an 11-minute half-time show with Justin Bieber, Madonna and BTS at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The performance will be the first dedicated half-time concert in World Cup final history and will support a global education fund.

How Events Unfolded

The line-up took its latest shape when Justin Bieber was added as a co-headliner, joining Shakira, Madonna and BTS. Burna Boy, conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the PS22 Chorus are also set to appear, with Coldplay involved in the production.

Shakira had already performed at the tournament's opening ceremony and now faces the unusual challenge of returning for the final without repeating herself. Speaking on The Capital Evening Show with Jimmy Hill, she said she was still working out how to make the second appearance distinct.

“I played at the inauguration, and now I’m playing at the final. I’ve got to wrap my head around it, make it a little different from what I did at the inauguration.”

The Colombian singer described the shared set as “pretty historic” and said the artists had yet to settle exactly how the show would work. Chris Martin is curating the 11-minute event, while Shakira said she hoped the Coldplay frontman would also sing.

The performance arrives during a major World Cup run for Shakira's music. Her Burna Boy collaboration “Dai Dai (FIFA World Cup Official Song 2026)” spent a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart and reached No. 3 on the Billboard Global 200. Billboard reported 34.4 million streams and 4,000 sales outside the US in the latest tracking week.

The Fine Print

This is more than a larger-than-usual concert attached to a football match. FIFA has never previously staged a dedicated half-time show during its final, making the 19 July production a significant change to the format of the tournament's biggest game.

The show also carries a fundraising purpose. It supports the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which aims to raise $100 million (£73 million) to expand children's access to education and football. One source reported that the fund had already raised $50 million and that $1 from every ticket sold to 2026 World Cup matches would contribute to the effort.

That combination of football, music and fundraising explains the unusually broad line-up. Pop, Latin music, K-pop, Afrobeats, orchestral performance and a children's chorus are all represented in a set designed for one of the tournament's largest audiences.

The Response

Shakira's own reaction has been a mixture of excitement and uncertainty about the creative details. She named Madonna, BTS, Bieber and Coldplay while discussing the performance and made clear that the exact shape of the shared set was still being worked out.

“We’ll all get together and we’ll all figure it out how it’s gonna be, but I’m really curious. I’m as curious as you are right now!”

Bieber, meanwhile, linked his participation directly to the education campaign. His addition also marks another major live appearance after his Coachella performance in April.

“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.”

Putting It in Perspective

For viewers in Britain, the immediate significance is simple: one of football's biggest fixtures is being reshaped into a crossover entertainment event on a scale more commonly associated with the Super Bowl. The final itself remains the centrepiece, but the half-time interval now carries its own globally recognised cast.

Shakira sits at the centre of that crossover. She performed at the opening ceremony, has a tournament song high on the global charts and will now return for the final. That gives her a rare role spanning both ends of the competition rather than appearing for a single ceremony.

The tight 11-minute running time also means the scale of the cast will not necessarily translate into long individual performances. With several headliners and supporting acts sharing the slot, the main creative question is how the production will divide the stage and connect the artists into one coherent show.

Looking Ahead

The World Cup final and its first-ever dedicated half-time concert are scheduled for Sunday, 19 July at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Shakira has confirmed that the performers still need to work out the details of the shared production.

What is already confirmed is the core line-up: Shakira, Justin Bieber, Madonna and BTS as major names, alongside Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel and the PS22 Chorus, with Chris Martin curating the event. The finished show will have just 11 minutes to turn that unusually large cast into a single performance.