Madonna, Shakira and K-pop megastars BTS will headline a Super Bowl-style half-time show at the World Cup final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, FIFA said Thursday.

Coldplay’s Chris Martin is curating the show, which is a first for a football World Cup final but has raised concerns about how long half-time will be.

The biggest-ever World Cup, with 48 teams, kicks off on June 11 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced in March last year that there would be “the first-ever half-time show at a FIFA World Cup final”.

He did not say at the time who would be performing or how long the show would last.

“This will be a historic moment for the FIFA World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world,” he said on Instagram.

The move mirrors the show held during the final of the 2024 Copa America in Miami, when Colombian star Shakira performed at half-time at the Hard Rock Stadium.

There was also a half-time show at last year’s FIFA Club World Cup final, also at MetLife Stadium, which stretched the break in excess of the regulation 15 minutes.

Infantino added that FIFA also planned to “take over” New York’s Times Square on the final weekend of the World Cup.

The half-time extravaganza will support FIFA’s Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative working to raise $100 million for children worldwide during the World Cup.

Shakira last week teased the new official song for the World Cup, releasing a brief video of the track filmed at Brazil’s iconic Maracana Stadium.

In the 67-second video, Shakira appears on the pitch at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, where she performed in a free concert at the city’s Copacabana Beach before two million people.

Holding the “Trionda”, the official match ball of the 2026 World Cup, Shakira performed excerpts of the song in English, joined by dancers dressed in the colors of teams including the United States and Colombia.

The song was produced with Nigerian artist Burna Boy and is set for official release on Thursday. The clip, also shared by the FIFA World Cup account, ends with the message: “We’re ready!”

Shakira has a long association with the World Cup, performing at the 2006 and 2014 World Cup finals in addition to producing “Waka Waka” for the 2010 tournament.

AFP

Yoweri Museveni has been sworn in for his seventh term as President of Uganda on May 12, 2026, at the Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala, following his victory in the January 2026 elections.

Recall Museveni won with 71.65 percent of the vote, defeating his main challenger, 43-year-old Bobi Wine, who received 24.72 percent of the vote, according to the official results.

The 81-year-old leader took his oath for another five-year term, continuing his tenure as one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.

Museveni, born 1944 in Mbarra district area of Uganda has served as president since 1986.

He started his education in 1953 at Kyamate Boys School, then joined Mbarara High School in 1959.

After his family’s migration from Ntungamo in 1960s, then within the British Protectorate of Uganda, he was admitted to Ntare School in 1961.
He studied political science from the University of Dar es Salaam where he initiated the University Students’ African Revolutionary Front.

The family of a 12-year-old Nigerian boy, Damilola Afolabi who drowned in a Canadian lake, has been thrown into mourning after the tragic incident occurred barely two months after they relocated abroad in search of a better life.

Damilola reportedly drowned at Mahogany Lake in Calgary on Sunday after jumping into the water while playing with friends

According to reports, the boy did not know how to swim and failed to resurface after entering the lake.

He was later pulled from the bottom of the lake and rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The deceased was buried on Wednesday at the Muslim Cemetery of Calgary as relatives and members of the community gathered to mourn him.

Speaking on the tragedy, family spokesperson Patrick Adda said the family had only recently moved from Ghana to Canada and were still trying to settle into their new environment.

“They came in here,” Adda said. “They have no one. And all of us here. We’re like angels that came in their lives to see how best we can help them migrating to the best place to live and work, which is in Calgary.”

According to the family, Damilola had been trying to make new friends and adapt to life in Canada. He was said to enjoy riding bicycles and spending time outdoors in his neighbourhood.

His grieving father, Jubreel Afolabi, said his son had returned from church on the day of the incident before asking to go outside and play.

“On Sunday, my son just came from the church, and he wanted to play a little at the front of the house,” he said.

“That’s the end. I would never see my son again, when I see my son, I saw his body lying there.”

The distraught father added that the family relocated abroad hoping to secure a brighter future for their children.

“When we were about to leave Ghana Dami said, ‘Daddy, thank you for the good life you are going to give us in Canada,’” Jubreel recalled emotionally.

“I didn’t know that my son would never be with me at this moment anymore.”

Damilola was one of four children in the family. Adda revealed that his younger sister has continued asking about him since his death.

“His little sister calls him Da,” Adda said. “And the little sister, who is just a few years old, had Da changing her diapers and everything, and she was asking,

‘Where is Da?’”

The incident has also reignited concerns over safety at Mahogany Lake, where several drowning cases have been recorded over the years.

Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas reacted to the tragedy, saying it raises serious questions about public safety infrastructure around the lake area.

“It does make a bigger question, though, in terms of the type of supports and infrastructure and equipment we provide for our Calgary police and county fire departments,” he said.

Still overwhelmed by grief, the boy’s father said burying his son was a painful experience no parent should endure.

“I wish my sons would be the ones to bury me and not the other way around,” Jubreel said.

Reports added that a crowdfunding campaign has since been launched to support the bereaved family.