As it unfolds on “definitely the biggest stage ever”, the historic FIFA World Cup 2026™ Final Halftime Show will “touch the hearts of the people” thanks to its combination of spectacular star power and humanitarian impact, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said.

Headlined by Shakira, Madonna and BTS and curated by Chris Martin, co-founder of Coldplay, the Halftime Show at New York New Jersey Stadium on the afternoon of Sunday, 19 July 2026 will be broadcast live to a potential audience of billions. The extravaganza will transform the biggest match in football into an unprecedented celebration, all while showcasing the vital and remarkable educational work performed by FIFA and Global Citizen.

Hours after the dazzling Halftime Show lineup was unveiled on Thursday, 14 May 2026, Mr Infantino was on stage alongside Kaká and Shakira to speak to a packed house at the Global Citizen NOW Summit in New York, United States.

Global Citizen’s ambitious aims to alleviate extreme poverty while improving access to quality education and sport for children around the world have impacted nearly 1.3 billion people. To support these efforts, FIFA partnered with Global Citizen in September 2024 and specifically for the FIFA World Cup 2026, USD 1 will be donated from every ticket sold for the tournament to the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.

“When you look at Shakira, Madonna, BTS, in the biggest stage in the world the day of the FIFA World Cup final, and when you combine that with the purpose that is even bigger, to make sure that, thanks to this, we can raise money to enhance quality education of children all over the world, well, this makes it really worthwhile and the emotion is even bigger,” the FIFA President said.

Shakira concurred, telling the audience, “Since I was 18, I’ve spent my entire life doing two things: making songs and building schools. So, finally, during this (FIFA) World Cup, those two paths meet, come together, and I’m very excited.”

The Colombian superstar, who left her lasting imprint on football lore with the signature 2010 FIFA World Cup™ anthem, Waka Waka, released a new song for this year’s tournament entitled Dai Dai. The vibrant track, which also features Burna Boy, is the Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Song in support of the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund – with sales also being committed to the cause, which is targeting USD 100 million thanks to the close association with the FIFA World Cup 2026.

“[But] we want to go above that, and we want to continue even after the (FIFA) World Cup,” Mr Infantino said. “We have to raise USD 1 billion, because it’s worthwhile. There are many worthwhile causes in the world, but education is definitely the most important one, because it impacts our future. Everyone can become a little bit better by having the right education, [and] we embrace that, we work on that and we put all our heart and our passion in this project.”

Kaká, a former FIFA World Cup™ and FIFA World Player of the Year winner, is also a member of the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund Advisory Board.

“[Seeing] what FIFA is doing with Global Citizen [is] really nice, because the (FIFA) World Cup is an incredible platform [where] we can sing and we can shout and we can change a lot of these values, and use this platform to increase education,” the Brazilian legend said. “For me, it (has a) huge and a big impact. So, I’m so happy that I’m part of this group that (is) using the (FIFA) World Cup to increase education around the world.”

Ensuring that the world’s greatest sporting event leaves a legacy that transcends wins and losses has been one of Mr Infantino’s primary missions since taking office a decade ago.

“Two and a half years ago I had the honour of meeting Gianni Infantino at FIFA’s headquarters in Switzerland,” said Global Citizen Co-Founder and CEO Hugh Evans, who also took part in the summit discussion. “I’ll never forget that meeting because Gianni (Infantino) said to me at the time, he said, ‘Hugh, I want my presidency to be marked by the impact we have on the planet.’ And he was true to his word, because right after that, [we] launched the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.”