Dressed in the signature red, black and white of Korea\u2019s \u201cRed Devils\u201d soccer supporters, BTS took the stage at the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday as featured performers in the tournament\u2019s first-ever halftime show.
\nHeld at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey during the final between Spain and Argentina, BTS\u2019 11-minute performance was part of an extended interval introduced for this year\u2019s championship match.
\nFollowing an orchestral rendition of The White Stripes\u2019 \u201cSeven Nation Army\u201d conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, the septet emerged one by one in black, red and white outfits inspired by the colors of Korea\u2019s \u201cRed Devils\u201d supporters. As each member took the stage one by one, the crowd erupted into cheers.
\nProduced in partnership with Global Citizen and curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, the halftime show also featured performances by Madonna, Justin Bieber, Shakira and Burna Boy.<\/p>\n
BTS performed a shortened version of \u201cDynamite,\u201d the all-English single that became the group\u2019s first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 in 2020. For the occasion, BTS reworked portions of the lyrics with soccer-themed references, replacing \u201ckick the drum\u201d with \u201ckick the ball\u201d and \u201ca game of ping pong\u201d with \u201ca game of football.\u201d<\/p>\n
The performance concluded with a collaborative finale featuring BTS alongside the other performers, Martin and New York City\u2019s PS22 Chorus \u2014 a choir from a public elementary school on Staten Island \u2014 performing \u201cWe Dance,\u201d a song written by Coldplay for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Characters from the Muppets and Sesame Street also joined the closing performance.
\nThe halftime show also highlighted the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which supports access to education and sports opportunities for children in underserved communities around the world.
\n\u201cIt was an honor to perform at the first-ever halftime show at a World Cup final,\u201d said BTS through Big Hit Music after the performance.
\n\u201cThe World Cup has been something we\u2019ve enjoyed watching since we were young and it feels like a dream to stand on this stage alongside incredible artists. We believe we were able to be here thanks to the support of Army (BTS\u2019 fandom) around the world.\u201d
\nThe appearance marked another milestone for BTS. Four years after member Jungkook performed \u201cDreamers\u201d at the opening ceremony of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the group returned to the tournament as a full seven-member act for the final match\u2019s halftime show.
\nThe performance also came just one day after BTS wrapped up the European leg of its \u201cArirang\u201d world tour, which drew approximately 717,000 attendees across 10 concerts in five cities including Madrid, Brussels, London, Munich and Paris.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dressed in the signature red, black and white of Korea\u2019s \u201cRed Devils\u201d soccer supporters, BTS took the stage at the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday as featured performers in the tournament\u2019s first-ever halftime show. Held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey during the final between Spain and Argentina, BTS\u2019 11-minute performance was part of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-557622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n