--- title: World Cup Halftime Show Odds: Justin Bieber, BTS, Surprise Performers, and Song Props description: Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber, and BTS will headline the first World Cup final halftime show. Prediction markets are pricing the set list, surprise performers, and a potentially record-breaking U.S. audience canonical: https://time.com/partner-content/prediction-markets/the-world-cup-final-adds-another-main-event/ author: Annie Nader article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-07-16T22:13:18.584Z article:modified_time: 2026-07-16T22:12:47.345Z og:title: World Cup Halftime Show Odds: Justin Bieber, BTS, Surprise Performers, and Song Props og:description: Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber, and BTS will headline the first World Cup final halftime show. Prediction markets are pricing the set list, surprise performers, and a potentially record-breaking U.S. audience og:url: https://time.com/partner-content/prediction-markets/the-world-cup-final-adds-another-main-event/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbd0e17bcee488478/6a5953e825e878464bda31e7/GettyImages-2280464848.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: GettyImages-2280464848.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: World Cup Halftime Show Odds: Justin Bieber, BTS, Surprise Performers, and Song Props twitter:description: Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber, and BTS will headline the first World Cup final halftime show. Prediction markets are pricing the set list, surprise performers, and a potentially record-breaking U.S. audience twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbd0e17bcee488478/6a5953e825e878464bda31e7/GettyImages-2280464848.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- The information presented here is created independently from the TIME editorial staff.  * [Prediction Market](/partner-content/prediction-markets/) # The World Cup Final Adds Another Main Event by [Annie Nader](https://time.com/author/annie-nader/) Prediction Markets Analyst Jul 16, 2026 10:13 PM UTC  Shakira performs during the Opening Ceremony before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group A match between Mexico and South Africa at Mexico City Stadium in Mexico City, Mexico on June 11, 2026. Shakira performs during the Opening Ceremony before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group A match between Mexico and South Africa at Mexico City Stadium in Mexico City, Mexico on June 11, 2026.Ryan Pierse—Getty Images by [Annie Nader](https://time.com/author/annie-nader/) Prediction Markets Analyst Jul 16, 2026 10:13 PM UTC FIFA said a 48-team World Cup would grow the game. Critics argued it would merely grow FIFA's revenue. The expansion has delivered on both counts: record audiences, billions in market activity, and a first-of-its-kind spectacle designed to make Sunday's final one of the most-watched events in television history. By nearly every metric available, the 2026 World Cup has lived up to its billing. It became the [highest-attended tournament](https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/soccer/36-million-soccer-fans-attended-years-world-cup-matches-setting-new-re-rcna351442) in history three weeks before the final whistle, blowing past the previous mark of 3.6 million spectators. Television has kept pace. The United States-Belgium round of 16 showdown was the [most-watched World Cup match](https://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/breaking-news/article/world-cup-2026-30-million-people-watched-usmnt-belgium-making-it-the-most-watched-soccer-match-in-us-history-201511170.html) ever in the U.S., drawing more than 30 million viewers on Fox. The tournament's reach is measured in more than turnstile counts and ratings. A [German soccer fan known as Freddy turned an X travelogue](https://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/article/world-cup-2026-freddy-the-viral-german-soccer-fan-vows-to-carry-on-his-journey-despite-germanys-stunning-exit-040055305.html) about Taco Bell, Walmart, and his encounters with American culture into one of the tournament's most viral off-the-pitch storylines. In an analysis [published in Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/frankahrens/2026/06/30/what-the-freddy-effect-teaches-governments-about-social-media/) that it dubs the "Freddy Effect," [BGR Analytics found](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/frank-ahrens%5Fin-todays-edition-of-the-signal-from-bgr-share-7477434919342804992-Pe5i/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAawXw8B4VSzR58W5iOM7Q1%5FLGN-7Bfar0c) that positive U.S. sentiment toward Germany on X rose 13% during the first three weeks of his trip. After expanding the tournament's field, audience, and cultural footprint, FIFA has one more trick in its locker: for the first time, the [World Cup final will feature a halftime show](https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/fifa-sound/final-halftime-show). It offers pop culture enthusiasts an entry point into an event that can otherwise seem to speak in code—offside calls, VAR reviews, and all. For anyone unmoved by the Spain vs. Argentina heavyweight matchup, this marquee lineup could be enough to make them reach for the remote: Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber, and BTS will co-headline the halftime show. The Super Bowl serves as the proof of concept. A [YouGov poll showed that 18% of Americans](https://yougov.com/en-us/articles/54125-twice-as-many-americans-tuned-in-bad-bunny-super-bowl-halftime-show-as-watched-kid-rock-february-13-16-2026-economist-yougov-poll) who said they did not watch the Super Bowl LX game tuned in for Bad Bunny's halftime performance. [More than $5 billion has been traded](https://kalshi.com/markets/kxmenworldcup/mens-world-cup-winner/kxmenworldcup-26) on who will win the World Cup across Kalshi and Polymarket, and now the halftime show has generated markets of its own: what song opens the set, who performs, and how many millions watch. ## World Cup Halftime Show Below are the [odds for who will perform at the World Cup halftime show](https://kalshi.com/markets/kxworldcuphalftime/who-will-perform-at-event/kxworldcuphalftime-26), per Kalshi.  On July 9, [FIFA announced](https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/justin-bieber-to-co-headline-final-halftime-show-with-madonna-shakira-bts) that Justin Bieber would co-headline the halftime show. The markets were ahead of the official announcement: on July 2, Bieber's contract traded as high as an 82% implied probability after [TMZ reported](https://www.tmz.com/2026/07/02/justin-bieber-might-perform-at-fifa-world-cup-final/) that he was in talks to perform. Though the $2 million market is still seeing action, there may be little mystery left to price. A standard World Cup halftime lasts 15 minutes, and pushing it longer risks disrupting the game's rhythm—a concern shared by fans and analysts who have [criticized](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/fifa-break-rules-30-minute-194047657.html) the unprecedented extension as a violation of soccer's traditional rules. [According to The Athletic](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7445380/2026/07/14/world-cup-half-time-length-fifa/), FIFA is targeting Sunday's total halftime period to last no longer than 20 minutes, with the performance itself running around 11 minutes. A lineup featuring Madonna, Shakira, Bieber, and BTS already hits every note of star power. The clock may not leave time for an extra verse anyway. With the guest list potentially capped, the trending trades have pivoted from who will perform to what they will perform. Shakira's "[Dai Dai](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcnDmrtj6Sk)"—the [official anthem for the 2026 World Cup](https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/shakira-official-video-fifa-world-cup-2026-rcna346651)—is trading at a near-bulletproof [98% implied probability to be performed](https://kalshi.com/markets/kxwcfinalsongs/what-song-will-be-performed-at-event/kxwcfinalsongs-26jul20) and holds a [42% chance to open the show](https://kalshi.com/markets/kxwcfirstsong/what-will-be-the-first-song-sung-at-the-world-cup-halftime/kxwcfirstsong-26jul20?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com). The song features a lyrical roll call of soccer greats, including Lionel Messi, who will be due back on the field when the music stops. Beyond "Dai Dai," the market loses its sense of conviction. Even "Like a Prayer," [Madonna's most-streamed song on Spotify](https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/madonnas-official-top-40-most-streamed-songs%5F%5F8646/), currently has just a 17% chance of being performed—the reality of cramming four superstar catalogs into 11 minutes. But by pulling four enormous fan bases toward an event already drawing historic interest, the halftime show could help make Sunday the most-watched World Cup final broadcast in U.S. history—and shatter the previous record.  The 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France [drew 25.8 million viewers](https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2022/12/20/world-cup-finals-averaged-nearly-26-million-viewers-on-fox-telemundo-and-streaming/) in the United States. The 2026 World Cup final has a 67% chance of surpassing 42 million viewers, which would represent roughly a 63% increase. Some will tune in to watch Messi. Others will tune in to hear Shakira belt his name. That's not a distraction from the World Cup FIFA built. It's the whole point. --- ## Read more from Prediction Markets [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/prediction-markets/) [Open article: The Rumor That Repriced the Bond Market](https://time.com/partner-content/prediction-markets/the-rumor-that-repriced-the-bond-market/)  ### The Rumor That Repriced the Bond Market [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/prediction-markets/the-rumor-that-repriced-the-bond-market/) [Open article: Can the Market Scoop Marvel?](https://time.com/partner-content/prediction-markets/can-the-market-scoop-marvel/)  ### Can the Market Scoop Marvel? 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