Global Citizen is gearing up for its biggest event yet: the first-ever FIFA World Cup halftime show. The show, curated with help from Coldplay's Chris Martin, will feature performances by Madonna, Shakira, and BTS. Shakira also released the official World Cup song “Dai Dai” featuring Burna Boy.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks on a panel on the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament halftime show during the Global Citizen NOW summit, Thursday, May 14, 2026, in New York. Former Brazilian soccer star Kaká, holding a World Cup trophy, enters for a panel on the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament halftime show during the Global Citizen NOW summit, Thursday, May 14, 2026, in New York.
Shakira enters for a panel on the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament halftime show at the Global Citizen NOW summit, Thursday, May 14, 2026, in New York. From left, Kaká, Hugh Evans, Shakira, and Gianni Infantino pose for a photo after a panel on the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament halftime show during the Global Citizen NOW summit, Thursday, May 14, 2026, in New York.
From left, Kaká, Hugh Evans, Shakira, and Gianni Infantino pose for a photo after a panel on the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament halftime show during the Global Citizen NOW summit, Thursday, May 14, 2026, in New York. FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks on a panel on the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament halftime show during the Global Citizen NOW summit, Thursday, May 14, 2026, in New York.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks on a panel on the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament halftime show during the Global Citizen NOW summit, Thursday, May 14, 2026, in New York. Former Brazilian soccer star Kaká, holding a World Cup trophy, enters for a panel on the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament halftime show during the Global Citizen NOW summit, Thursday, May 14, 2026, in New York.
Former Brazilian soccer star Kaká, holding a World Cup trophy, enters for a panel on the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament halftime show during the Global Citizen NOW summit, Thursday, May 14, 2026, in New York. Shakira enters for a panel on the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament halftime show at the Global Citizen NOW summit, Thursday, May 14, 2026, in New York.
Shakira enters for a panel on the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament halftime show at the Global Citizen NOW summit, Thursday, May 14, 2026, in New York. curated with help from Coldplay vocalist Chris Martin Organizers aim to direct the tournament’s billions of projected viewers worldwide toward a humanitarian initiative launched alongside soccer’s international governing body.
Leveraging what Global Citizen founder Hugh Evans called the “complementary” unifying powers of soccer and music, the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund aims to raise $100 million for grassroots groups providing underserved children with access to education and sports.
“I hope that on the world’s biggest stage, finally, the importance of investing in education steals the show,” Shakira told the Global Citizen NOW summit in New York on Thursday. Later, she told The Associated Press in an interview that she wanted to help the “many children who are being left behind. ”“That should be our first concern,” Shakira said.
“I’m so excited that finally we’re gonna use a global event like this one as a platform to discuss what’s most important: kids’ education. ”. A dollar from every World Cup ticket sale will go toward the education fund. But with tickets selling for four- to five-figures, not to mention the high price of travel and lodging, some host cities are lowering their attendance expectations.
Further complicating their message of unity is FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s tightening connection to President Donald Trump, whose restrictive immigration policies and recent military pursuits amount to what critics consider an unwelcoming environment atypical of an international sporting event. Evans is not focused on politics, though.
“I’m a pragmatist,” he told the AP. “I’ve always believed that if we can do something so unbelievably positive, it has the potential to unite people at a time when the world needs it most. ” Thursday’s Global Citizen NOW summit speakers emphasized their ability to build cross-sector support for causes like the education fund.
The annual spring gatheringUnited Nations’ ambitious list of “sustainable development goals” They’ve raised $47 million so far for the education fund, according to a Thursday announcement at a Global Citizen summit in New York City. Corporate sponsors Bank of America, MetLife and Cisco put in $15 million between them, according to Evans.
MetLife is donating an additional $5 for every video that fans post online of themselves juggling a soccer ball with the hashtag #FootworkForFutures.as well as the joint tour recently announced by Usher and Chris Brown. Shakira announced Thursday she will donate 100% of her “Dai Dai” proceeds plus $1 from every ticket to her newly expanded tour in the United States. Evans is now turning to heads of state for more financial support.
He invited existing or future World Cup host countries to supplement funding.
“It has the potential to say to the whole world: We are global citizens... We’re all on this amazing planet together. Let’s solve the world’s biggest problems together,” Evans said, adding that the move can foster a human approach rather than a “nationalistic” one. Evans cited the 27 inaugural FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund grantees, released earlier this week, as inspiration.
Among the recipients was Hit the Books, a Harlem-based nonprofit that uses mixed martial arts as the hook to provide students with additional educational resources. The grants range from $50,000 to $250,000. Jhae Thompson, executive director of Hit the Books, said the support is meaningful because many nonprofits support hundreds of children on incredibly small budgets.
“What we are really leveraging is the foundation of what a young person needs in order to build character, to build discipline, to build confidence,” Thompson told the Global Citizen NOW audience. Global Citizen has pursued partnerships in new regions as traditional actors including the U.S. cut their international aid budgets. That expansion includes the Middle East, represented by the addition of Mariam AlMheiri to their board.
AlMheiri, who heads the International Affairs Office at the Presidential Court of the United Arab Emirates, emphasized that “when you look at a football, everyone’s happy” — a positive association she hopes will translate into support for the education fund. Marcus Samuelsson, a multiple James Beard Award-winning chef and avid soccer fan, noted that this World Cup is spread across three different countries: the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The tournament, he added, has expanded from its origins as a competition largely between South American and European nations to represent countries in Africa and Asia, too.
““You start thinking about these countries. You maybe want to go there on vacation, maybe you want to go there, volunteer and help out. Whatever gets you going,” Samuelsson told AP.
“And it can start by falling in love while watching them. ”Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visitPollard covers philanthropy for The Associated Press with a focus on Gen Z’s giving habits and technology’s uses in charitable work. He is based in New York.
Hugh Evans Chris Martin Madonna Burna Boy Donald Trump Marcus Samuelsson Chris Brown Cisco Systems Inc. Gianni Infantino FIFA Entertainment James Beard Business Sports New York City United Arab Emirates Youth Sports Ivanka Trump Military And Defense Bank Of America Corp. Nonprofits Philanthropy Usher The Weeknd Metlife Inc.
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