Sunday’s historic half-time show of Sunday’s 2026 World Cup final could become the “most-watched entertainment event in history,” according to show organizers.
“You’ll want to watch it five or six times because every second is amazing,” said Hugh Evans, founder and CEO of Global Citizen, which produces the show in partnership with Live Nation and Done + Dusted, in an interview that aired Friday on “Good Morning America.”
“There are surprises,” he added. “It’s truly mind-blowing.”
Colombian singer Shakira waves to the audience during the announcement of the 2026 FIFA World Cup halftime show during the Global Citizen and FIFA World Cup panel at the Global Citizen NOW event in New York City on May 14, 2026.
Charlie Triballo/AFP via Getty Images
The 11-minute show is the first half-time show in World Cup history.
Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira, Burna Boy and BTS are headlining the show set to take place during Sunday’s championship match between Argentina and Spain at New York Stadium in New Jersey.
The performance will also feature Gustavo Dudamel conducting the combined New York Philharmonic and Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, as well as the PS22 Choir, which includes Coldplay, Ghetto Kids, Emmanuel Kelly and the Muppets from Sesame Street, including Kermit and Miss Piggy.
According to Evans, the idea for the World Cup half-time show came from Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who said the singer called him during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“He said, ‘It would be great if we had a half-time show before the next World Cup,’” Evans recalls.
Guy Carrington, executive producer of the halftime show, told “GMA” that Sunday’s halftime show will be global in scope.
“It was about bringing together the biggest stars on the planet to create something that felt really collaborative and really represented the world, and like every corner of the globe was coming together,” he said.
The countdown to the World Cup finals saw 48 teams from around the world compete in more than 100 matches in the United States, Mexico and Canada over the past six weeks.
The last World Cup final in 2022 attracted 1.4 billion viewers, according to FIFA.
This year’s final will begin at 3:00 pm ET on Sunday, with halftime beginning at approximately 3:45 pm ET.