Justin Bieber was added on 8 July 2026 as a fourth co-headliner of the World Cup final halftime show, taking a slot at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on 19 July alongside BTS, Madonna and Shakira.
The arithmetic of it drew comment straight away. The three acts already booked carried 121 Hot 100 hits, 20 number one singles and 12 Grammy Awards between them, and Bieber arrived with 123 chart entries, eight number ones and two Grammys of his own. All of that has to fit into 11 minutes.
Chris Martin of Coldplay curated the show, and the headliners are not the whole of it. The Nigerian Afrobeats singer Burna Boy is on the bill, as is Gustavo Dudamel, then in his final stretch as conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The PS22 Chorus, an elementary school choir from Staten Island, performs with Coldplay. The Muppets appear too.
Shakira and Burna Boy's Dai Dai is the tournament anthem and the one song close to guaranteed a slot, the pair having already performed it at the opening ceremony in Mexico City. Bieber's own catalogue for the occasion runs to Peaches, Sorry, Love Yourself and Daisies, though the clock leaves room for a bar or two.
The show supports the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund. "The FIFA World Cup brings the world together in a way nothing else can," Bieber said in a statement, adding that he was grateful the slot was already helping expand access to education for children.
He had form with the tournament by then, having turned up at the US against Paraguay game at SoFi Stadium weeks earlier and played his song Yukon in a backstage area. More of the acts on that bill sit on our pop hub, including Shakira's Madrid residency and BTS at the 52nd American Music Awards. Other bills are in the festival tracker.
The facts
- Justin Bieber was announced on 8 July 2026 as a fourth co-headliner
- The halftime show ran at MetLife Stadium on 19 July 2026
- BTS, Madonna and Shakira were already booked
- Coldplay's Chris Martin curated the 11-minute show
- Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel, the PS22 Chorus and the Muppets also appeared
- Shakira and Burna Boy's Dai Dai is the tournament anthem
- The show supports the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund
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