The upcoming FIFA Club World Cup Final on Sunday, July 13, 2025, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, is poised to make history beyond the pitch with its inaugural halftime show featuring global music powerhouses J Balvin, Doja Cat, and Tems. The star-studded event is being produced by Global Citizen and curated by Coldplay’s frontman, Chris Martin. The show will support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative announced by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Global Citizen Co-Founder and CEO Hugh Evans at the Global Citizen NOW Summit in April. The initiative aims to raise 100 million dollars to provide children around the world with access to quality education and football.
Who are the performers at FIFA Club world cup 2025?
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, an expanded 32-team tournament, commenced on June 14th and will culminate with this historic final. J Balvin expressed his profound honour, calling it a “historic moment” for himself, Latin culture, and “dreamers.” Tems echoed this sentiment, emphasising music’s unifying power and its ability to improve lives. The show promises a vibrant fusion of Afrobeats, reggaeton, pop, and hip-hop, set to be delivered live and streamed globally for free via DAZN.com, with an anticipated audience of 2 billion viewers. This inaugural halftime spectacle is also viewed as a precursor to a similar show planned for the FIFA World Cup Final in 2026, also slated for MetLife Stadium.
FIFA Club World Cup was first held in 2000, it faced a hiatus from 2001 to 2004 due to financial issues before returning as an annual event in 2005. Beginning in 2025, it will transition to a quadrennial schedule. In contrast to the Club World Cup, the FIFA World Cup is contested by national teams representing their respective countries, with the 2026 edition set for July across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, also expected to feature a Super Bowl-style halftime show for its Final.
However, the 2025 tournament is not without its controversies. The most prominent criticism concerns its expanded 32-team format, which will occupy a full month of what is traditionally the only meaningful rest period for professional footballers. Players typically endure a demanding 10-month club season, with their limited summer break often consumed by international tournaments. The addition of this new, month-long summer competition effectively eliminates any recovery time, raising significant concerns about increased injury risks, severe fatigue, and long-term health implications for players.