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As we edge closer to June, we draw nearer to yet another World Cup marred by controversy. The 2022 competition drew criticism for its host Qatar’s alleged use of slave labour in constructing their stadiums, as well as the event being rescheduled to winter dates. This year’s tournament, which kicks off on the 11th of June, is hosted jointly in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Since Donald Trump’s re-election in 2025, the US has grappled with political assassinations, violence on the streets involving the nation’s immigration authority (ICE), and the ongoing conflict with Iran which has created a global oil crisis. These factors, ­coupled­ with Trump’s tariff-posturing with allied nations, anecdotes of foreign nationals being deported for social media posts, and grossly inflated ticket prices for the World Cup games, have led to many fans in the UK and abroad to approach travelling to the US this summer with apprehension.

But as the biggest television spectacle in sport, the World Cup Final routinely draws several billion viewers from all around the globe, and this year’s final is advertised by organisers FIFA as the biggest ever. In 2024, the association announced a final halftime show, inspired by American Football and the NFL’s Superbowl entertainment. While this choice was met with sceptic cries that it would contaminate football’s traditions with American commercialisation, the plans continued with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin heading up the selection process.

FIFA announced the lineup for the halftime extravaganza today with a light-hearted trailer starring Chris Martin, Sesame Street characters Elmo and the Cookie Monster, and several stars from The Muppets including Kermit and Miss Piggy. The ensemble of one of the UK’s most popular singers and the US’s most famous puppets revealed a billing of pop queen Madonna, K-Pop sensations BTS, and Latin songstress Shakira. President of FIFA Gianni Infantino was quoted in the announcement as saying “Madonna, Shakira and BTS are global icons whose music transcends borders and generations, and we are proud to welcome them to the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show curated by Chris Martin of Coldplay.”

The halftime show will support FIFA’s Global Citizen Education Fund, their initiative whose goal for the event is to raise $100 million for sponsoring education and football opportunities for the world’s children. Madonna, who has a vast history of philanthropic work, said “Performing at the World Cup final in support of the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund is deeply meaningful to me. Without education, children are denied opportunity before they even have a chance. Every child deserves access to a quality learning — because education expands possibilities and creates lasting change.” Remarks also came from Shakira, who is a board member of the Global Citizen Education Fund and previously had a hit with 2010 World Cup single ‘Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)’. She says “I’ve spent my life doing two things — making songs and building schools. At the FIFA World Cup, those two paths come together. Standing alongside Madonna and BTS, I’ll be performing ‘Dai Dai’, the song I created for this World Cup and for the kids around the world we will reach with the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund. My hope is that on the world’s biggest stage, the importance of investing in children’s education steals the show!”

The FIFA World Cup Halftime Show has been produced by Global Citizen, with partners Live Nation and Done + Dusted. You can catch Madonna, BTS, Shakira, and the stars of Sesame Street and The Muppets on the 19th of July, when the final airs from the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Specific dates and venues for the UK leg have not yet been confirmed. While the official setlist hasn’t been revealed, it’s likely to include a mix of her iconic hits like ‘Hips Don’t Lie’, ‘Whenever, Wherever’, and tracks from her recent projects. Shakira’s team has not formally announced the tour yet, but it appears to be part of her larger comeback strategy to tease these plans through media outlets.

According to The Sun, Shakira has “earmarked venues in the UK to host huge performances in 2026.” The concert insider states that the tour could last for years because “she wants to do a full lap of the globe.” — https://t.co/vCKYnTEmbp pic.twitter.com/P9hFguustY

— shakirastuff | fan account (@shakirastuff_) January 2, 2025

The Colombian singer-songwriter rose to fame in the late 1990s with hits like ‘Whenever, Wherever’ and solidified her status as a pop icon with tracks like ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ and ‘Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)’. Known for her distinctive voice, belly dancing, and genre-blending style, Shakira has become one of the best-selling Latin artists of all time. Shakira’s iconic song ‘Hips Don’t Lie’, featuring Wyclef Jean, achieved massive success in the UK, solidifying its place as one of the most memorable pop hits of the 2000s. Released in February 2006, the song reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart in June 2006. It remained at the top spot for 1 week and stayed in the Top 10 for several weeks afterwards. By 2023, it was certified 2x Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), signifying over 1.2 million units sold in the UK.

Shakira has had a strong connection with her UK fanbase, regularly visiting for tours, promotional events, and global concerts. She first toured the UK in 2002 as part of her first English-language album ‘Laundry Service’ (2001). This visit marked her introduction to the British audience and played a key role in establishing her as an international star. Shakira’s most recent visit to the UK was in 2018 during her ‘El Dorado’ world tour. Her upcoming 2026 UK tour would mark her return to the region after an eight-year gap.

This tour is seen as a continuation of Shakira’s commitment to connecting with her global fanbase, bringing her infectious energy and unique sound to stages across the UK. Keep an eye on official announcements for more details as the tour draws closer.

Shakira – the best selling female Latin music artist of all time, with 80 million records sold worldwide – becomes the latest in a series of internationally renowned stars to sell their music to Hipgnosis. Most notably, Bob Dylan, Blondie, Mark Ronson and Neil Young have all cashed in with Hipgnosis in the last year. Speaking on the acquisition, Shakira stated that she felt Hipgnosis would offer a “great home” for her music. “At eight years old – long before I sang – I wrote to make sense of the world. Each song is a reflection of the person I was at the time that I wrote it, but once a song is out in the world, it belongs not only to me but to those who appreciate it as well,” she said.

Merck Mercuriadis is the founder and CEO of Hipgnosis, as well as the former manager of numerous pop sensations including Elton John and Beyoncé. He targets a value of £3 billion for the company in the coming years, building revenue streams  – via licensing, merchandise and performance royalties – through the newly acquired assets. However, Mercuriadis maintains that Hipgnosis employs an artist-centric approach to acquiring and managing music rights.

Speaking to Music Week, he said: “The first main motive, above making money, is to change where the songwriter sits in the economic equation. I had a very good sense that it would be successful, and that it would give me the leverage of great assets to help to be a catalyst for changing where the songwriter sits in the economic equation. That’s important to me. When I look at Universal, Warner and Sony, which are great companies that have great people in them, they’re operating under a paradigm that I don’t agree with when it comes to how a songwriter is paid. 

“They use the passive income of their great hits, their incredible catalogues, to underwrite that business. We’re not in that business, we’re in the business of managing songs. And I believe that the way that you get more out of songs is by putting more into them.”

Mercuriadis co-founded Hipgnosis in 2018 with Chic guitarist and industry legend, Nile Rodgers. An outspoken critic of financial distribution in the music industry, Rodgers appeared before a digital, culture, media and sport select committee last year to provide evidence pertaining to the economics of streaming. Rodgers described the current system as “just ridiculous”, while accusing major labels of intentionally withholding money from artists. However, addressing the committee, he expressed his optimism that a fairer deal could be struck, asking MPs to make the UK a “leader” in regulating the streaming market.