At some point in the planning of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show, someone looked at a room that contained Chris Martin of Coldplay, Elmo, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and Animal, and decided that this was the correct group of individuals to build the biggest halftime show in World Cup history around. That person was right.
The result is the most unexpectedly perfect entertainment announcement of the summer and possibly of the decade. The inaugural FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show takes place July 19, 2026, at New York New Jersey Stadium. The lineup is Madonna, Shakira, BTS, and the Muppets. This is not a drill.
How This Happened for The Muppets
The show was curated by Chris Martin, whose work with Coldplay over the past two decades has been defined by exactly the kind of global, colorful, unity-focused spectacle that a World Cup Final demands. The concept was developed through what is being described as a viral brainstorming session featuring Martin alongside Elmo, Kermit, Miss Piggy, and Animal.
The session produced a show built around a specific purpose beyond entertainment, raising funds for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which works to expand access to quality schooling and football programs for children around the world.
Martin has described the show as a chance to show how amazing all different kinds of humans are. The presence of felt-based participants in the brainstorming process gives that statement a dimension that is difficult to argue with.
The show is the first halftime performance in World Cup Final history, making July 19 a historic occasion on multiple levels simultaneously. A football milestone and a pop culture milestone are happening at the same time in the same stadium with the same cast.
The Sesame Street World Cup Situation
While the Muppets prepare for the July 19 stage, Sesame Street is taking on a different but equally significant role in the World Cup experience. The beloved children’s franchise is partnering with Fox Sports, the U.S. rights holder for the 2026 tournament, to bring Sesame Street characters into the broadcast coverage for the full duration of the competition, which kicks off June 11 when Mexico meets South Africa.
The character assignments are so perfectly matched to their roles that it is almost suspicious. The Count is hosting a dedicated statistics segment. This is correct. The Count has been counting things on television since 1972, and there is no better-qualified character on earth to break down World Cup statistics for a family audience.
Oscar the Grouch is hosting Trash Talk, a satirical highlight show described by Fox as featuring grouchy moments from on and off the pitch. This is also correct. Grover is appearing in segments where he interacts with Fox Sports broadcasters to explain how a World Cup match is called on television, which sounds like exactly the kind of thing Grover would find extremely exciting and slightly overwhelming.
Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Big Bird will appear throughout the coverage across the tournament’s full run.
Fox Sports Vice President of Production Zac Kenworthy called the collaboration a fun and educational element that brings families together around the Fox Sports viewing experience. That is the institutional version of saying that having The Count do sports statistics is an obviously good idea that should have happened much sooner.
The Scale of What Is Happening with The Muppets
The United States opens World Cup play on June 12 against Paraguay. The final is July 19. Between those two dates, Sesame Street characters will be present in Fox Sports coverage for the better part of six weeks, in front of one of the largest sustained global television audiences any event generates.
At the end of those six weeks, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy take the stage alongside Madonna, Shakira, and BTS, in a show designed to raise money for children’s education globally, curated by a man who spent the development process in a room with Animal.
The World Cup is coming to Sesame Street. Sesame Street is coming to the World Cup. The Muppets are doing both simultaneously.
June 11 is when it all starts. July 19 is when it peaks. The letters are G-O-A-L and the show is going to be something nobody forgets.
Source: USA Today
