Media Release

Fédération Internationale de Football Association

FIFA Strasse 20, P.O Box 8044 Zurich, Switzerland, +41 (0) 43 222 7777

Saturday 28 September 2024, 22:35

FIFA and Global Citizen team up ahead of FIFA World Cup 26™

  • Global Citizen granted rights to produce first-ever FIFA World Cup™ final half-time show at 2026 edition

  • Four-year partnership will mobilise football fans globally to help end extreme poverty and provide millions of children with access to education

  • Agreement includes the new FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, which features the best 32 clubs in the world

FIFA and Global Citizen are set to work together to help end extreme poverty and to improve access to sport and quality education for children worldwide. The announcement was made at New York’s Central Park during the annual Global Citizen Festival, by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans and one of the organisation’s ambassadors, Hugh Jackman, with DJ Khaled and Gayle King also in attendance at the event.

Under the partnership, Global Citizen will produce the first-ever FIFA World Cup™ final half-time show, which will be held at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, 19 July 2026. Additionally, the four-year link-up will include the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, a brand-new competition which features 32 clubs from all six continental confederations that will be held across 11 American cities in 2025 . Football fans everywhere will be able to act with Global Citizen on issues such as ensuring all children have access to education, to promotions related to earning tickets to FIFA Club World Cup™ matches. More details on these initiatives will be announced in the coming months.

“FIFA’s mission is to develop football in every corner of the world and to have a positive impact on society,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “Through this partnership, FIFA and Global Citizen will bring together the worlds of sport and entertainment to actively contribute to a better world. We are committing to a series of joint activities that will help promote access to football and engage fans of the sport in an effort to create positive change in their local communities.”

Global Citizen is the world’s leading international advocacy organisation and is on a mission to end extreme poverty. It has deployed USD 43.6 billion in the past decade, impacting nearly 1.3 billion lives. Over the next five years, Global Citizen plans to build a movement of 50 million people worldwide to positively impact the lives of a further 650 million people.

“FIFA and Global Citizen share a common vision to work with football fans around the world with a view to driving positive action towards ending extreme poverty by ensuring that all children have access to quality education,” said Evans. “Five billion people around the world engaged with the last FIFA World Cup. Together with FIFA, we have a remarkable opportunity to broaden our movement of action takers.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino alongside Co-Founder & CEO of Global Citizen Hugh Evans and Hugh Jackman