Madonna, Shakira and special guests will star in World Cup final half time show

Global superstars Madonna and Shakira will headline the first World Cup final half time show for hundreds of millions of fans . Coldplay frontman Chris Martin revealed the line-up via a social media video featuring characters from Sesame Street and the Muppets and South Korean boy band BTS. He is also the curator of the landmark performance. The World Cup final is scheduled to take place on Sunday July 1 9 at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Fifa president Gianni Infantino, who also shared details of the event in an Instagram post, a nnounced plans for the show in March last yea r. There are around 7m fans expected in the States, with a world wide TV audience for the final likely to exceed one billion viewers. It could lead to the half-time interval during the final lasting longer than the customary 15 minutes. Total reach of 2022 Final between France v Argentina was the highest ever with 1.42 billion viewers. Average global live audience for the finals overall was 175 million viewers This summer's show will be staged in support of the Fifa Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative working to raise 100 million US dollars to expand access to education and football for children around the world. Half-time entertainment has become a major feature of sporting events in the United States, notably during the Super Bowl. Madonna headlined the Super Bowl half-time show in 2012, while Shakira shared the stage with Jennifer Lopez at the event in 2020. Last summer, Fifa staged a half-time show at the MetLife Stadium during the Club World Cup final, when Chelsea beat Paris St Germain 3-0. The biggest World Cup, featuring 48 teams, kicks off on June 11 and is being hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico.