Credit: DisneyThere are moments in pop culture that feel genuinely unprecedented, not in the hyperbolic way that every press release uses the word, but in the actual sense that nothing quite like them has happened before and nothing quite like them is likely to happen again in the same way. The 2026 FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19 is shaping up to be one of those moments, and the reason it belongs in that category has less to do with the human performers involved, though the human performers involved are among the most globally recognized artists of the last three decades, and more to do with who is sharing the stage with them. The Muppets are performing at the World Cup Final Halftime Show alongside Madonna, Shakira, and BTS.
Read that sentence again slowly and appreciate what it actually means. Kermit the Frog. Miss Piggy. Animal. On the same stage as two of the best-selling solo artists in music history and the biggest boy band on the planet, at the final match of the most-watched sporting event in human history, in front of an audience that will span virtually every country on earth. The show was curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, who developed the concept through what is being described as a viral brainstorming session that included Martin, Elmo, Kermit, Miss Piggy, and Animal sitting together and building an event around a shared vision of celebrating diversity and showing what Chris Martin himself described as a chance to show how amazing all different kinds of humans are.
This is actually happening on July 19, 2026.
What the Halftime Show Looks Like
The inaugural FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show is being built around a specific purpose beyond spectacle. The performance is designed to raise funds for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative that expands access to quality schooling and football programs for children around the world. The charitable mission gives the event weight that pure entertainment cannot replicate, and the combination of Madonna, Shakira, BTS, and the Muppets as the vehicles for that mission is the kind of creative decision that only works if everyone involved commits fully.
Chris Martin’s involvement as curator is not incidental. Coldplay has spent years building a concert experience around themes of unity, color, and global celebration, and his sensibility translates naturally to an event that is trying to hold the attention of a global audience with wildly different cultural reference points simultaneously. The Muppets as collaborators in the brainstorming process, rather than as add-ons to an existing concept, reflect a genuine creative partnership rather than a licensing arrangement, which is a meaningful distinction in terms of how the show will feel when it is actually performed.
The Sesame Street World Cup Coverage
While the Muppets prepare for the halftime stage, the Sesame Street characters are taking on a different but equally significant role in the World Cup experience. Sesame Street is partnering with Fox Sports, the U.S. rights holder for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to feature Sesame Street Muppets in educational and entertaining segments throughout the tournament broadcast, with the explicit goal of engaging younger fans and bringing families into the viewing experience together.
Fox Sports Vice President of Production Zac Kenworthy described the collaboration as adding a fun and educational element that brings families together around the Fox Sports viewing experience, which captures the straightforward logic behind the partnership without overstating it. The World Cup is a family event in a way that most major American sports are not, and Sesame Street has been the most trusted name in children’s educational entertainment for more than fifty years.
The specific character assignments are worth detailing because each one reflects a genuine fit between the character’s established identity and the role they have been given. The Count will host a dedicated statistics segment, so obviously, it is surprising nobody thought of it during the previous 30 World Cups. Oscar the Grouch will host Trash Talk, a satirical highlight show described by Fox as featuring grouchy moments on and off the pitch, which is also obviously correct and probably the segment most adults will seek out intentionally. Grover will appear in segments in which he interacts with Fox Sports broadcasters to explain the technical aspects of how a World Cup match is called on television. Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Big Bird will appear throughout the coverage in various capacities.
Why This Summer Belongs to the Muppets
The 2026 World Cup kicks off on June 11 with Mexico meeting South Africa, and the United States opens its tournament the following day, June 12, against Paraguay. The final takes place on July 19. Between the opening match and the final, Sesame Street characters will be present in Fox Sports coverage for more than five weeks of the most-watched sporting event on the planet.
That is an extraordinary amount of exposure for two franchises that began as children’s television programming and grew into something significantly larger over the subsequent decades. The Muppets and Sesame Street have always operated at a frequency that works for both children and adults, which is precisely why they work in this context. A halftime show that needs to hold the attention of a global stadium audience and a broadcast partner that needs to bring younger viewers into a sports event both require exactly what these characters have always delivered.
Madonna, Shakira, and BTS provide the spectacle and the global musical recognition that a World Cup Final demands. The Muppets and Sesame Street provide the connective tissue that makes the whole thing feel like it belongs to everyone rather than to a specific demographic.
July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium. The biggest stage in sports. The most recognizable characters in children’s entertainment. The show is reportedly brought to you by the letters G-O-A-L.
Source: USA Today
