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FIFA President Gianni Infantino thanked Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and manager Phil Harvey after announcing that they would help select artists for the first-ever FIFA World Cup final halftime show in 2026. The tournament will take place in the US, Mexico, and Canada, with the final set for July 19, 2026, at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
While opening and closing ceremonies have been a staple of the FIFA World Cup, the tournament has never had a halftime show. On March 5, Gianni Infantino took to Instagram to confirm the "historic moment," writing:
"I can confirm the first ever half-time show at a FIFA World Cup final in New York New Jersey, in association with Global Citizen. This will be a historic moment for the FIFA World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world."
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The 54-year-old also announced that FIFA will "takeover" Times Square for the final weekend of the FIFA World Cup, i.e., on the days of the final and the third-place matches. He expressed gratitude to Coldplay's Chris Martin and Phil Harvey for their involvement.
"My thanks of course to Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans and his incredible team, for helping us put together these amazing shows. I also want to thank Chris Martin and Phil Harvey of Coldplay, who will be working with us at FIFA to finalise the list of artists who will perform during the half time show, as well as at Times Square," Infantino added.
Netizens on X reacted to Infantino's announcement. One X user, @supremo_web3, suggested the inclusion of Kendrick Lamar for the event. The Not Like Us rapper recently headlined the Apple Music LIX halftime show at the Caesar Superdome.
"Just get Kendrick Lamar and we all set."
Several netizens shared their reactions to Infantino's announcement on the social media platform.
"Chris Martin’s touch guarantees a spectacular show. This could be a game-changer for World Cup entertainment!" raved another fan.
"Chris Martin and FIFA teaming up for the first-ever World Cup final halftime show? This is going to be legendary!" another user opined.
"Multiple artists? Just give it to Drake everyone on this planet knows one dance, gods plan i stg," a fan wrote on X.
X user @beauinurquiver suggested the inclusion of Bruno Mars and Beyonce to headline the first-ever FIFA World Cup final halftime show.
"Better bring out Bruno and Beyonce again girl cos aint nobody gonna tune in for you no shade," commented the user.
"Beyonce is the ONLY artist who has the entertainment value to perform on a big stage like this. No one comes close," agreed another.
"And watch the “which is bigger the World Cup or the Super Bowl” crowd immediately say the World Cup halftime show was better," quipped a netizen.
"Bro this is going to easily trump Super Bowl shows and I don’t een watch soccer but their fan base don’t play," wrote another.
Some other reactions on X are as follows:
"We don't need this sh!t happening in football games. Just let us watch our football games without any unnecessary shenanigans," a user argued.
"1. If there is a show, it should be before the final match starts. 2. Make sure the show includes Shakira. Her three World Cup anthems are a must. 3. Just to reinforce point number 1 and 2, inferred another user on X.
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin apologizes for colonialism in India
Chris Martin-led Coldplay began their India tour with a highly anticipated show at Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium on January 18, 2025. According to Mashable, the 48-year-old issued an apology to the Indian audience for Great Britain's colonial past.
During the concert, Chris Martin addressed the crowd, saying:
“We couldn’t ask for a better audience to play to, so thank you for coming today everyone. It's amazing to us that you welcome us even though we are from Britain. Thank you for forgiving us for all the bad things Great Britain's done and thank you for welcoming us…”
Elaborating on the quality of the audience at his show, Martin said:
“This is our fourth visit to India, and the second time to play. First time we played a long show and we could not have asked for a better audience. Thank you for coming today, everybody..”
As part of their India tour, Coldplay performed two more shows in Mumbai and two in Ahmedabad. The concerts were available to stream live on JioHotstar.
