Madonna, Shakira, BTS to headline World Cup final half-time show

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Madonna, Shakira, and K-pop megastars BTS will headline a Super Bowl-style half-time show at the World Cup final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, FIFA has confirmed.

The tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, concludes with the final in New Jersey on 19 July.

According to FIFA, the halftime show will support the FIFA Global Citizen Educati on Fund, an initiative targeting the raising of 100 million US dollars to improve access to quality education and football opportunities for children across the globe.

More than 30 million dollars has already been generated for the initiative, with FIFA confirming that one dollar from every ticket sold for World Cup matches will go towards social projects worldwide.

There have been reports that the show could last longer than 15 minutes, which the laws of the game say the interval should not exceed.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino described the event as a historic moment that would unite football, music, and humanitarian impact on the world’s biggest sporting stage.

“Madonna, Shakira and BTS are global icons whose music transcends borders and generations,” Infantino said. “This historic show will also shine a light on a greater purpose by supporting the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund and our shared mission to expand access to quality education and football opportunities for children worldwide.”

Popular children’s television characters from Sesame Street and The Muppets are also expected to feature during the performance as part of efforts to promote learning and child development.

Madonna said performing at the World Cup final would be “deeply meaningful”, while Shakira revealed she would perform “Dai Dai”, a song created specifically for the tournament and the education initiative.

BTS also described music as “the universal language of hope and harmony” and said the group was honoured to support children’s education through the global event.