BTS Played the World Cup Final Halftime Show. Wayne Rooney Wasn't Impressed.
BTS performed an 11-minute set at the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final halftime show on July 19, sharing the field with Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber and Burna Boy at New York/New Jersey Stadium. Former England captain Wayne Rooney had one assessment of the show on BBC: the best part was when it ended.
The seven members opened with "Dynamite," BTS' first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, before joining every other headliner for "We Dance," an original number written by Coldplay's Chris Martin for the occasion. Martin curated the full show, which also brought out conductor Gustavo Dudamel, the New York Philharmonic, Venezuela's Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, the PS22 Chorus and the Muppets' Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. Spain won the match itself 1-0 in extra time on a Ferran Torres goal, denying Argentina a second straight title.
Rooney's line, delivered live during a BBC broadcast when asked to name the halftime show's best moment, was blunt: "Honestly, when the show ended." BTS' own account of the night looked different. The group's official social media posted a single line afterward - "260719 FIFA World Cup 2026" - alongside photos from the field, and the full 11-minute set was uploaded to BTS' YouTube channel within hours. Streamer iShowSpeed, who has more than 30 million YouTube subscribers, was filmed jumping and screaming before hugging each member backstage. Jimin, who has said he grew up watching the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup as a child, was photographed on the field two decades later in a moment fans circulated widely under the hashtags #BTSxWorldCup2026 and #BTSHALFTIMESHOW.
The booking closes a loop BTS' leader RM had already gestured toward. During a Brussels tour stop earlier this month, RM addressed the crowd directly about the upcoming performance, telling fans, "So we're going to the halftime show for the final match." It was the first time any member had spoken publicly about the booking since FIFA and Global Citizen confirmed BTS as co-headliners in May. No FIFA World Cup - men's or women's - had staged a halftime show at all before this one; the tournament is 96 years old.
The show itself was produced by Global Citizen in support of the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which aims to raise $100 million for children's education access, with $1 from every 2026 World Cup ticket sold going toward the initiative.
BTS has not announced its next joint appearance. For now, the group's official channel is where the "260719" post sits - seven words shorter than anything BBC's cameras caught from Rooney.
