BTS performed a reworked ‘Dynamite’ at the first FIFA World Cup final halftime show, joining Madonna, Justin Bieber and Shakira at MetLife Stadium
BTS chose the biggest television audience of the year to remind everyone how they conquered America in the first place. Performing at the first-ever FIFA World Cup final halftime show on Sunday (July 19), the South Korean septet delivered “Dynamite” at New York New Jersey Stadium (the temporarily rebranded MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.) during the Spain vs. Argentina final. The song choice, kept secret until showtime, was pointed: “Dynamite” was the group’s first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, spending three weeks on top in 2020, and there was no better calling card for a global stage planted in an American stadium.
RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook hit the pitch in coordinated red, white and black, with Jung Kook kicking off the segment and the group reworking some of the song’s lyrics with soccer themes to fit the occasion. They took the field directly after Madonna, with Justin Bieber and then Shakira featuring Burna Boy following on the septet’s heels, the latter pair closing with their Global 200-topping tournament anthem “Dai Dai.” All four headliners then reconvened for “We Dance,” an original song Coldplay wrote for the show, performed by the Chris Martin-led band with New York’s PS22 Chorus and the Muppets.
A Full-Circle World Cup Moment
For BTS, the appearance completed a circle four years in the making. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Jung Kook performed at the opening ceremony alone while the group’s future hung in the balance ahead of mandatory South Korean military service. On Sunday, all seven members stood on the sport’s biggest stage together, a little over a year into a reunion that has moved at full sprint: their comeback show in Seoul this March drew a reported 260,000 fans to Gwanghwamun, and their “NORMAL” music video recently set a Spotify single-day streaming record.
ARMY responded to the halftime moment accordingly, flooding X and Instagram within minutes; “BTS truly paved the way” became a recurring refrain among fans celebrating the group representing Korean music at a match Spain ultimately won 1-0 for its second title.
The production around them was equally maximal. Produced by Global Citizen and curated by Martin, the show folded in conductor Gustavo Dudamel, the New York Philharmonic and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, Bijan Mortazavi and Emmanuel Kelly, plus surprise appearances by Brazilian legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho and Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt in character as Ted Lasso and Coach Beard.
Entertainment With a Balance Sheet
Behind the spectacle sat a philanthropic engine. “We set out with a bold ambition: to bring together the world’s greatest artists for what would be the most-watched halftime show in history,” said Hugh Evans, co-founder and CEO of Global Citizen, adding that he hoped viewers “felt the message of unity and love at its core” and that “millions of kids around the world receive access to education for years to come.” The numbers are already material: as of Sunday, the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund has surpassed $60 million raised for children’s education worldwide.
The venue itself will not have to wait long for an encore. BTS return to the very same building on Aug. 1 and 2, when their ARIRANG World Tour resumes at MetLife Stadium, this time with the full runtime to themselves. Sunday’s cameo, brief as it was, doubled as the best possible advertisement: a seven-man victory lap, performed for a planet that tuned in for soccer and got a K-pop history lesson at the break.
