BTS brought K-pop to football's biggest stage on Sunday, delivering an energetic performance of their global hit "Dynamite" during the FIFA World Cup final's first-ever halftime show before more than 80,000 spectators at New York New Jersey Stadium.
The seven-member group took the stage in coordinated red-and-black outfits as part of an 11-minute spectacle that also featured Madonna, Shakira and Justin Bieber, marking the first halftime entertainment in the history of a FIFA World Cup final. The show was curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and produced by Global Citizen in support of the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.
BTS performed "Dynamite," the group's 2020 global smash that became its first No. 1 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and earned a Grammy nomination. The choice highlighted the song that helped propel the group into the global mainstream and introduced K-pop to a broader international audience.
The performance came as BTS continues its sold-out ARIRANG world tour promoting its latest album. Although fans had speculated the group might debut a newer track, the band instead opted for one of its most recognizable worldwide hits.
Madonna opened the halftime show alongside Brazilian football legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho before conductor Gustavo Dudamel led the New York Philharmonic and Venezuela's Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra.
Justin Bieber and Shakira later joined the lineup, turning the World Cup final into one of the largest global entertainment events of the year.
The appearance marked another milestone in BTS' international career, with the group becoming one of the headline acts at the inaugural World Cup final halftime show — a format inspired by the Super Bowl and watched by hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide. Jungkook became the first Korean artist to perform at a FIFA World Cup when he sang "Dreamers" at the opening ceremony of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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