Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, has announced that the final of the 2026 World Cup will feature a first-ever halftime show.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada from June 11 next year.
The final of the competition is scheduled to be held at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey in the US on July 19.
In a post on his Instagram page, Infantino said FIFA would “take over” Times Square in New York for the final weekend of the competition.
The FIFA president added that Chris Martin and Phil Harvey of Coldplay are being consulted on “the list of artists who will perform during the half time show, as well as at Times Square”.
The halftime musical show is a feature associated with the Super Bowl championship final in the US. Kendrick Lamar, the American rapper, was the artiste who headlined the 2025 Super Bowl with a performance that stretched almost 30 minutes.
The FIFA World Cup final, like every other football match, traditionally has a 15-minute break between each half of 45 minutes.
The 2026 tournament will be the biggest World Cup, with 48 teams. It is also the first time three counties will be co-hosting the competition.
