Inside the FIFA World Cup halftime show and the call that made it happen
Inside the FIFA World Cup halftime show and the call that made it happen
Ralphie Aversa, USA TODAYThu, May 21, 2026 at 6:06 PM UTC
0
NEW YORK – It could go down as the most watched halftime show in the history of television. But it might not have happened if the lead singer of one of the biggest bands in the world hadn't made a simple phone call.
For the first time in its nearly 100-year history, the FIFA World Cup Final will feature a halftime show. K-pop superstar group BTS, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Madonna and Grammy-winner Shakira are set to perform on July 19 before the second half of the 2026 World Cup championship at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Musical acts have been a part of the tournament for decades, typically performing before the final match begins. But Hugh Evans, the co-founder and CEO of Global Citizen, explains that the idea for a global halftime show for the 2026 cup — likely the biggest stage in the world with billions of people watching — was an idea years in the making.
(From left) In this 2015 photo, Coldplay's Chris Martin and the Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans attend the Global Citizen Launch Party in New York City.How Global Citizen partnered with Coldplay's Chris Martin
Evans launched Global Citizen (then called the Global Poverty Project) in 2008 with a mission to end extreme poverty. In 2012, the organization held its first Global Citizen Festival, bringing performers together for a music festival and activism rally. Tickets were awarded to people who took social actions, such as signing petitions or writing world leaders. Timed to coincide with the UN Summit, it was a massive success, driving $1.3 billion in commitments to fight issues like poverty, malaria and polio.
Then in 2015, Evans received a call at his office from Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin. Evans remembers the call "vividly."
"He said, 'Hugh, I want to work with you and the United Nations to help launch the sustainable development goals," Evans, 43, recalls. Later that year, Martin worked with Evans to curate the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park that featured Coldplay, Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran and Pearl Jam.
"Then (Martin) said, 'I'm going to help take this all around the world.'"
The "Viva La Vida" singer kept his word and continued to work with Global Citizen. Coldplay and Jay-Z headlined a 2016 festival in India. The following year, Coldplay shared the stage with Shakira in Germany. In addition to concerts in New York, festival dates occurred in South Africa and Ghana.
Off stage, Martin has traveled to Ghana, Mexico and Haiti to understand fair trade policy and their effect on communities. He also curated a four-track EP, with all proceeds benefiting Global Citizen.
Evans calls Martin "a visionary" and "one of the greatest songwriters of our generation." (The CEO admits he's "very biased," but numbers back him up: Coldplay has sold an estimated 160 million records and won six Grammys.)
Advertisement
But even a resume like that doesn't automatically land you the trust to produce a halftime show for the World Cup, which drew an audience of 1.5 billion people in 2022. That first required another discussion, this time between Evans and FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Hugh Evans, CEO of Global Citizen, attends Global Citizen NOW 2026 at Spring Studios on May 14, 2026 in New York City.Global Citizen teams with A-list artists, FIFA for biggest stage yet
Global Citizen held its 2024 festival in Central Park. At the event, the U.S. venues for the 2026 World Cup were announced. FIFA was also gearing up for the Club World Cup, which took place in 2025 for professional clubs (vs. national teams) at MetLife Stadium. Evans discussed the idea of a Club World Cup final halftime show with Infantino.
"We knew the World Cup was coming in a year and so we said, 'Would [the Club World Cup] be an opportunity to see what we could learn through that process, but also kick off the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund?'" Evans recalls. A dollar from every Club World Cup ticket went to the fund, which aims to improve access to quality education and soccer for children around the world. Evans says the initiative brought millions of dollars to the fund. To date, the fund has raised $47 million, with a goal of $100 million by the July 19 final.
The Club World Cup Final halftime show delivered major headliners — J Balvin performed with Doja Cat and Tems and Coldplay made a surprise appearance, performing "A Sky Full of Stars" — and positive reviews.
"And then when it came time to look towards the World Cup, we sat down, myself and Chris Martin and a couple of our producers," Evans says. Those producers included longtime Super Bowl halftime show director Hamish Hamilton and Emmy-winner Ben Winston, whose credits include "The Late Late Show with James Corden" and the Grammys broadcast. "We said, 'What does the world need at this moment?'"
"We know this is a fractured moment for our planet," he continues. "And so we thought this is the moment to unite the whole planet behind the one thing that everyone agrees on, which is that children should have access to quality education."
Like at the Club games, the fund again receives $1 from every World Cup ticket sold. Shakira, one of the halftime show performers, is also donating all proceeds from her tournament song "Dai Dai" to the initiative.
It will be an inclusive, multi-generational affair: Kermit, Miss Piggy as well as the muppets of Sesame Street will participate in the halftime show. (Elmo and Cookie Monster joined Martin for the video to announce the show's lineup.)
"The great thing about Chris is his heart is as big as his ability to create amazing music and I think that's the heart that he's poured into the halftime show," Evans says. "I think that that's why we're also excited to work together to achieve something bigger than all of us."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The inside story on how the FIFA World Cup halftime show came about
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
