On Sunday, July 19, BTS performed at the final of the FIFA World Cup as part of the competition’s first ever half-time show.

The final, between Spain and Argentina, was held at the New York New Jersey Stadium (also known as the MetLife Stadium) in front of a crowd of almost 83,000 attendees. During a 30 minute interval, several music artists took to the field amongst back-up dancers, an orchestra, and brightly coloured decorations for an 11-minute international celebration of the event.

The line-up, created by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, spanned a range of acts including Madonna, Shakira and Justin Bieber. Between each artist, there were also appearances from Ted Lasso (2020-23) stars Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt and football legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. All culminated in a display centred around “love,” the word written out across the pitch.

BTS performed “Dynamite,” the song that propelled them to international fame in 2020. Though it is not a recent release for the group, “Dynamite” represents the success of K-pop globally and its bright pop instrumental and celebratory lyrics align with the atmosphere of the event. Tone and cohesion with the rest of the half-time show were prioritised over promoting songs from BTS’ reunion album ARIRANG, and the choice was effective as they “set the night alight” in sports jerseys.

This performance comes four years after BTS’ Jungkook was featured in an official soundtrack for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, held in Qatar. He performed the song, “Dreamers,” during the 2022 opening ceremony at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor. A second appearance from BTS showcases the group’s prominence and strengthens ties with international artists that they have previously worked with; BTS collaborated with Coldplay on “My Universe” in 2021, and the two bands reunited at the final following the completion of BTS’ military service requirements.

Additionally, it lands amongst multiple appearances of K-pop artists across the wider competition. BLACKPINK’s Lisa performed at an opening ceremony in California ahead of the first game played by the U.S. team, and TWICE’s Jihyo was featured on World Cup soundtrack “Follow Me” alongside French Montana, Ludmilla and Adriana C. KPop Demon Hunters lead singer and writer EJAE – who has further participated in the creation of many K-pop hits, including several by aespa, TWICE and NMIXX – was also featured in the competition’s primary anthem, “DNA (More Than A Game),” alongside classical singer Andrea Bocelli, which they performed before the opening game. To find K-pop repeatedly at such a global event indicates the growth of the genre, as it expands beyond being a one-off, token addition.

The performance marked BTS’ first at the New York New Jersey Stadium – but certainly not their last. On August 1 and 2, 2026, BTS are set to bring their World Tour ‘ARIRANG’ to the venue for two consecutive, headlining concerts, both of which are sold out. Fans online shared that virtual Ticketmaster queues for the events contained over 400,000 people, far exceeding the capacity of approximately 82,500. For BTS to sell out the venue of the World Cup final, one of the biggest events worldwide, showcases their success and exemplifies why they were chosen to participate in the historic first half-time show.

Following their participation in the FIFA World Cup half-time show, BTS will continue the North America leg of their World Tour ‘ARIRANG’ before moving on to Latin America in October.