Ricky Martin and Pedro Sampaio will share the halftime stage at the 2026 NFL Rio Game, a matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys set for Sunday, September 27 at 5:25 p.m. BRT (4:25 p.m. ET) at Maracana Stadium, Remezcla reported. It will be the second of seven halftime shows staged across the 2026 NFL International Games, as the league plays its most international games ever in a single season.
Sampaio, one of Brazil's most prominent music stars and the most-streamed male pop artist in the country over the past five years, called the booking deeply personal. "I grew up in Rio de Janeiro, seeing Maracana Stadium as a place where history was made," he said, adding that he never imagined his first time performing on that field would be alongside an artist who has always been a huge inspiration to him.
Sampaio added that the moment carries extra weight because it falls at the first NFL game ever held in his hometown, calling it something he will carry with him for the rest of his life.
Martin, one of the most successful and influential Latin artists of all time with more than 95 million albums sold worldwide, recently appeared during last year's Super Bowl Halftime Show, headlined by Bad Bunny. "There's nothing quite like the energy of the Brazilian people," he said, adding that he could not wait to reunite with fans and perform at the iconic stadium. "Get ready to move!"
Samba and pagode star Pericles and American bilingual recording artist Kandace Lindsey will perform the Brazilian and United States national anthems ahead of the game. "Singing the Brazilian National Anthem is always a very special moment," Pericles said, adding that representing Brazil at an event of this magnitude made it even more meaningful to him.
Other cities hosting 2026 NFL International Games include London (two games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium plus one at Wembley Stadium), Madrid's Bernabeu Stadium, Melbourne's Melbourne Cricket Ground, Mexico City's Estadio Banorte, Munich's FC Bayern Munich Arena and Paris's Stade de France, with Rio de Janeiro marking the league's return to Brazil for a game built as much around its musical entertainment as the football itself.
The facts
- Halftime show set for September 27, 2026 at Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro
- Game features the Baltimore Ravens against the Dallas Cowboys
- Second of seven halftime shows across the 2026 NFL International Games
- Martin has sold more than 95 million albums worldwide
- Pericles and Kandace Lindsey will sing the Brazilian and US national anthems
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