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The 2026 World Cup will be the first to feature a half-time show, Fifa president Gianni Infantino has announced.
Infantino also said the World Cup would “takeover” Times Square during the final and third-place match, although he did not specify how.
A half-time show would see the World Cup, held in 16 cities across the USA, Canada and Mexico in 2026, mimic the traditional spectacle at the Super Bowl.
“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,” Infantino wrote on his personal Instagram.
“This will be a historic moment for the World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world.
“We also spoke about how Fifa will takeover Times Square for the final weekend of the World Cup in 2026, during both the bronze final match and final.
“These will be two incredible matches, featuring some of the best players in the world, and what better way to celebrate them than in the historic Times Square in New York City.”
The final will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which will renamed the New York New Jersey Stadium for the tournament, while the bronze medal match will take place in the Miami Stadium.
“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 continued, although how a ‘list of artists’ will fit into a standard football match half-time period of 15 minutes, he did not say. His post did not mention the possibility of extending half-time.
