Nigerian Afrobeats star Burna Boy will headline the 2026 NFL Paris Game halftime show on October 25, putting one of Africa’s biggest music exports at the centre of the NFL’s first regular-season game in France.
The Grammy-winning singer will perform at Stade de France when the Pittsburgh Steelers face the New Orleans Saints. Kick-off is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. local time.
The announcement gives the Burna Boy NFL Paris Game 2026 performance a significance beyond the halftime entertainment. The NFL is entering the French market with its first regular-season fixture there, and the league has chosen a Nigerian artist with an established audience in France to help mark the occasion.
NFL senior director of global game presentation, music and entertainment Tim Tubito said the first NFL game in France deserved a halftime performance that matched the occasion.
A Return To a Stadium Where Burna Boy Already Made History
The Burna Boy Stade de France 2026 appearance will also bring the singer back to a venue where he achieved a major career milestone.
In April 2025, Burna Boy became the first African artist to headline a solo concert at Stade de France. The show reportedly sold all 80,000 tickets, making his return less about introducing him to French audiences and more about extending an already strong connection with the country.
Burna Boy said Paris had given him one of the biggest nights of his career and that returning to the stadium to represent African music was particularly meaningful.
His selection therefore fits both sides of the event. The NFL gets a globally recognised performer with an existing connection to Paris, while Burna Boy gets another major international platform for Afrobeats.
The NFL is Taking Global Music Seriously
The NFL Paris Game halftime show is part of a wider strategy by the league to connect its international games with major music acts.
The 2026 season includes a record seven international halftime shows across four continents. Nigerian singer Ayra Starr is also scheduled to headline the NFL’s London Game, while Ricky Martin and Pedro Sampaio are set for the Rio de Janeiro game.
Paris is one of several new international markets for the NFL this season. The league says it has already played more than 60 regular-season games outside the United States and is continuing to use international fixtures to build audiences in new countries.
For Burna Boy, the October performance adds another major entry to a growing list of international stages. For Afrobeats, it puts Nigerian music at the centre of a major American sports event being staged in Europe.
