This past week, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has been spreading the news on the biggest update to the World Cup final yet: the inclusion of the final's first-ever half-time show. On Monday, Infantino announced that Coldplay would help curate the performance, as well as a "takeover" of New York City's Times Square that weekend. Yesterday, however, he clarified in an interview on Good Day New York that the British band will not perform at the final, which will occur on July 19, 2026.

One possibility currently being considered is getting performers that represent the host countries of the USA, Canada, and Mexico. So yes, Toronto's biggest rapper Drake is now rumored to headline the first ever half-time show.

"We are thinking big," said Infantino. "We'll have 2 billion viewers from every corner of the world; it's like 20 times [bigger than] the Super Bowl." When asked by co-host Rosanno Scotto who's on the list to perform at the half-time show, he said, "That's a surprise!"

"It will be global," he continued. "Different countries."

Scotto suggested Drake as a "great idea" for the performance, half-joking about the potential for viewership based on the record-breaking success of Kendrick Lamar's performance at this year's Super Bowl Half-Time Show. Infantino nodded, joking that enlisting Drake for the World Cup final show would "continue the rivalry" with the LA-based rapper.

"That’s a good idea, actually," he responded. "Drake was with us when we announced the host cities. I should have his number saved somewhere.”

Infantino is referring to February 2024, when the Canadian singer began a conversation about the 2026 World Cup. Drake, a known sports fan (and gambler), reportedly spoke with the FIFA president about his Canadian pride. "Canada as a whole, we have an incredible melting pot," he said, according to Sportskeeda. "But in Toronto, there are just so many different cultural experiences. So when the world comes, it's going to be beautiful."

Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl performance reached an audience of 133.5 million viewers, becoming the most watched half-time show in the event's history, per HipHopDX. The World Cup, however, has a much bigger audience, as it peaked at 1.4 billion viewers during the 2022 Argentina v. France final. If selected, Drake's performance would naturally rake in more viewers.

As of right now, Drake has not commented on this possibility. In fact, as Infantino expressed in the interview, no artist has been confirmed for the half-time show.

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