New 2026 World Cup commercial with David Beckham starring Stella Artois
Stella Artois’ new TV commercial “Celebration” features David Beckham watching the World Cup with fans in a bar.
Stella Artois
K-pop supergroup BTS, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Madonna and Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira will headline the first FIFA World Cup final halftime show in the tournament’s nearly 100-year history. The World Cup final will be held on July 19th at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
FIFA and non-profit organization Global Citizen announced on Instagram the lineup for the Super Bowl-style halftime show to be held on May 14th. The announcement video featured Coldplay’s Chris Martin, as well as Elmo, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and Cookie Monster, who joked that BTS’s hit song “Butter” is Monster’s favorite song and an ingredient in his cookies.
When Elmo asked Martin what a halftime show was, the Grammy winner explained that it was a gathering of people for singing, dancing, and music.
“This is a chance to show how amazing all kinds of people are,” Martin continued. “And we can raise money for our children’s education.”
According to FIFA, “The program will raise funds for the FIFA Global Citizenship Education Fund, which aims to improve access to quality education and football for children around the world.”
Late on May 13, eagle-eyed fans noticed that Madonna and FIFA World Cup Instagram accounts had begun following each other. The Queen of Pop will perform with Sabrina Carpenter at Coachella in April and will release Confessions II, the sequel to 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor, on July 3.
BTS, whose members recently completed military service in South Korea, released their fifth studio album “ARIRANG” on March 20th, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook are currently on a world tour, with stops in Stanford, California, and Las Vegas in May. The tour will perform in Chicago in August and Los Angeles in September before returning to the United States. The group has had six No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 since 2020 and has filled stadiums around the world.
Shakira, the best-selling Latina female artist of all time, is no stranger to the World Cup. The Grammy Award winner released the official song for the 2026 World Cup, “Die Die,” on May 14. The single features Nigerian artist Burna Boy. Shakira also sang the anthem “Waka Waka” during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Global Citizen will produce the halftime show with the help of Martin, who is also familiar with FIFA. Martin also supported Global Citizen in the first-ever FIFA Club World Cup Final Halftime Show, held for professional clubs (vs. national teams) at MetLife Stadium in 2025. In addition to performances from J. Balvin, Doja Cat, and Thames, Coldplay wowed the audience with a rendition of “A Sky Full of Stars.”
Martin joined Global Citizen, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending world hunger, in 2015 as an international festival curator.
Who else will be playing in the 2026 World Cup?
FIFA will host three opening ceremonies, one for each of the first group stage matches of the host country (Mexico, United States and Canada). Each competition will feature performances by top music artists representing the host country and opponents.
Rockers Mana, Alejandro Fernandez, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Azures and South African singer Tyra will perform at the June 11 game in Mexico City.
Katy Perry, along with Future, Anitta, Lisa, Rema and Tyra, will perform at the US Opening Day in Los Angeles on June 12th.
Canadians Michael Bublé, Alanis Morissette and Alessia Cara take to the stage during the kickoff match on June 12 in Toronto. Elianna, Jesse Reyes, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream and William Prince will also appear.
FIFA releases official album including single “Lighter” by Jelly Roll, Carín León and Circut.
Who played in the 1994 World Cup final?
The 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will mark the second time that a World Cup match will be held in the United States. The United States hosted the 1994 World Cup, which drew more than 3.5 million fans to venues across the United States. It led directly to the creation of Major League Soccer. And, according to the head of U.S. soccer at the time, he almost produced the first halftime show.
“We had Whitney Houston do the halftime show,” former U.S. Soccer president Alan Rosenberg, who oversaw the World Cup, told USA TODAY. “We wanted to do it Super Bowl style, but FIFA wouldn’t allow it.”
Instead, Houston performed at the closing ceremony, which was originally scheduled to take place 50 minutes before the final. According to the Los Angeles Times, FIFA executives were concerned about whether players would have enough time to warm up, so the start time of the ceremony was moved up by an additional 30 minutes.
“We just did everything under the sun to make it more than just a soccer tournament,” Rothenberg continued. “It was clearly a success. As a result, many people who were interested in the tournament became soccer fans.”
Contributor: Nancy Armour, USA TODAY; Victoria Hernandez, USA TODAY
