BTS performed at the first-ever FIFA semi-final show on Sunday, taking part in a massive 11-minute performance during the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina.
The seven-member international boy band, which includes members RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, greeted the crowd at New York’s New Jersey Stadium, known outside of World Cup time as MetLife Stadium, with their 2020 hit song “Dynamite.”
BTS joined Madonna, Justin Bieber and Shakira, along with Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and The Muppets, for the jam-packed halftime show. Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt also appear as their characters Ted Lasso. Sunday’s match comes after cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico hosted matches throughout the tournament.
The K-pop boy band’s youngest member, Jung Kook, kicked off BTS’ segment of the show after a reference to the Viking Rho celebration in Norway. The 28-year-old was dressed like the other members of his group in red, black and white, wearing a cool logo jacket along with sunglasses. The rest of the BTS members gushed as the song continued.
BTS chose to tweak the lyrics to “Dynamite” to make it appropriate for Sunday’s game with lines like “King Kong, Kick the ball” and “Ding-dong, call me on my phone / Iced tea and a soccer game” — the latter sung by V, whose real name is Taehyung Kim, who pretended to kick the ball as he said the line.
The first half was produced by Global Citizen with programming curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin. The non-profit aims to raise $100 million for the FIFA Global Citizens Education Fund – with $1 donated for every ticket purchased throughout the World Cup.
The record-breaking boy band is in the midst of a massive comeback year. All seven members returned to group activities last year after their mandatory military conscription in their home country of South Korea to release a new album to the world. And they released this album, Arirangin March.
BTS is in the midst of an extensive world tour in support of… Arirang. They took a break from their run of sold-out shows in Las Vegas in May to take home three American Music Awards in their return to awards shows after their enlistment. They are scheduled to return to Sin City for the iHeartRadio Music Festival in September.
The K-pop group will return to MetLife Stadium in just a few weeks to perform two of their own shows at the stadium on August 1 and 2.
Watch BTS and the full halftime show below.
