Why BTS, Shakira, Madonna and Bieber weren't paid traditional performance fees for FIFA World Cup halftime show

The biggest names in the FIFA World Cup 2026 halftime show may have brought stadium-sized star power, but, reportedly, not stadium-sized performance cheques.

Madonna, Shakira and BTS reportedly performed at the first FIFA World Cup final halftime show without receiving traditional performance fees. Justin Bieber, who joined the lineup almost two months after the original trio was announced, was also reportedly booked under the same no-fixed-fee arrangement.

In other words: the stars brought the hits, the spectacle and the global attention, while the money went elsewhere.

No traditional performance fees for the headliners

The exact contracts remain private. FIFA and the artists have not publicly released their individual agreements, production budget or expense arrangements.

However, El País reported that Global Citizen confirmed to The Athletic that Madonna, Shakira and BTS had agreed to donate their time to the social-impact organisation rather than receive performance fees.

Bieber had not yet been added to the lineup when that confirmation was published. After his announcement, Athlon Sports, citing Marca, reported that he would follow the same model.

According to the report, organisers covered production and logistical expenses instead of paying the artists their usual concert rates. A small rehearsal stipend was also reportedly involved, although its value — and whether all four artists received identical terms — was not disclosed.

So, no, this apparently was not a case of four global superstars simply turning up, grabbing a microphone and paying their own way.

The halftime show had plenty of corporate muscle

The show itself was backed by a sizeable commercial operation.

Shortly before the final, FIFA announced that Topps had secured the naming rights, officially turning it into the FIFA World Cup 2026 Topps Final Halftime Show.

FIFA also named ADI Chain, Visa, Bank of America, DoorDash, Marriott Bonvoy, YouTube Music and Kayford Holdings as commercial supporters. The partners were woven into the event through branding, promotional campaigns and different elements of the production.

Marriott Bonvoy supported the appearance of Uganda's Ghetto Kids alongside Shakira and Burna Boy. YouTube Music secured rights to make the full performance available after the broadcast, while other sponsors appeared through on-field and digital promotions.

The artists may not have been collecting their usual performance fees, but the show was hardly running on vibes alone.

Madonna, BTS, Bieber and Shakira packed a lot into 11 minutes

The musical portion of the halftime show lasted approximately 11 minutes — although the entire interval stretched to around 27 minutes as crews moved equipment on and off the field, according to Reuters.

Madonna kicked things off with Music, arriving at the stadium in a dune buggy driven by Brazilian football legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.

Then came conductor Gustavo Dudamel, leading musicians from New York and Venezuela through “Seven Nation Army” alongside the Muppets' Electric Mayhem.

BTS followed with Dynamite before Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt appeared as their Ted Lasso characters to introduce Bieber.

The pop star performed an acoustic version of “Everything Hallelujah”, giving the song a World Cup makeover by changing its closing words to World Cup Hallelujah.

Shakira and Burna Boy then performed “Dai Dai,” the tournament's official song.

The finale brought together Chris Martin, the PS22 Chorus, Dudamel, plus characters from the Muppets and Sesame Street — because apparently one halftime show needed to contain approximately every possible flavour of entertainment.

Shakira is donating her World Cup song royalties

The halftime show also had a charitable mission attached to it.

It supported the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which aims to raise $100 million to expand access to education and football programmes for children around the world.

FIFA said the fund had already collected more than $60 million before the final. The organisation also pledged $1 from every ticket sold across the tournament's 104 matches.

Shakira made an additional commitment linked to “Dai Dai.” Her royalties from the official World Cup song are being donated to the education fund, while Sony Music pledged to match the first $250,000 raised through the release.

So while Madonna, BTS, Bieber and Shakira reportedly skipped the traditional performance-fee model, the show still came with plenty of corporate backing — and, in Shakira's case, a royalty donation that sends the money straight back into the cause behind the spectacle.