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BTS Make History with “Dynamite” at the First FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show
BTS made World Cup history with a football-charged performance of “Dynamite,” bringing all seven members to the centre of the field during the tournament’s first-ever Final Halftime Show.
Featured Jul 19, 2026 09:00 PM
BIGHIT MUSIC / FIFA / Global Citizen
On July 19, 2026, the seven members performed during the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The performance took place during the final between Spain and Argentina and brought BTS into a show featuring global artists including Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber and Burna Boy. The wider production was curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin and created in partnership with Global Citizen.
Jung Kook Opens the BTS Performance
The BTS section began with Jung Kook appearing first to launch a stadium-ready version of “Dynamite.”
The remaining six members then joined him one by one before BTS completed the performance together at the centre of the field.
It was a clever entrance that allowed the stage to grow from one familiar voice into a full OT7 moment—mirroring the larger story of BTS’s return as seven during the ARIRANG era.
“Dynamite” Gets a Football Makeover
BTS did not perform the song exactly as it appeared in 2020.
The World Cup version included football-inspired lyric changes, turning “Dynamite” into a performance designed specifically for the Final rather than simply repeating an older stage.
The group performed on and around a large globe-like structure at the centre of the stadium, connecting the visual to the worldwide scale of both BTS and the tournament.
Seven Members, Seven Details
The members’ styling also carried details connected to BTS, Korea and football.
SUGA wore a jersey featuring the emblem associated with South Korea’s Red Devils supporters, while Jimin and j-hope wore the number 7—a number linked both to BTS’s seven members and to football captain symbolism.
The styling allowed the performance to feel internationally readable while still preserving details connected to the group’s Korean identity.
A Full-Circle World Cup Moment
Jung Kook previously performed “Dreamers” at the opening ceremony of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Four years later, he returned to the World Cup stage with RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin and V beside him.
That difference gives the 2026 performance its emotional centre.
The earlier appearance represented one member carrying BTS’s presence during the group’s military-service chapter.
The 2026 Final represented all seven members returning together.
BTS Share Their Feelings After the Show
Following the performance, BTS said they were honoured to participate in the first World Cup Final Halftime Show and described the experience as feeling like a dream.
They also thanked ARMY, saying the group’s ability to stand on such a stage was connected to the love and influence of fans around the world.
That message made the achievement feel less like a distant celebrity milestone and more like another chapter BTS wanted to share with the fandom that travelled through every earlier stage with them.
More Than Entertainment
The halftime show was organized with Global Citizen to support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative focused on expanding access to education and sport for children in underserved communities.
BTS’s participation therefore connected music, football and a wider message of opportunity and unity.
The performance was short, but the platform was enormous: one of the world’s biggest sporting broadcasts, introducing BTS’s energy to viewers across countries, languages and generations.
From Pandemic-Era Hope to a World Cup Stadium
“Dynamite” was originally released in 2020, during a period when BTS could not meet ARMY normally because of the pandemic.
The song became their first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 and carried a message of brightness during global uncertainty.
Six years later, BTS performed it together at the World Cup Final—surrounded by stadium lights, football imagery, children, artists and an international audience.
A song created during separation had become the soundtrack to one of their largest reunion-era stages.
What to Do with the Older FIFA Posts
Your website currently has multiple future-focused FIFA cards.
After publishing this completed recap:
Keep the detailed watch guide only as an archived pre-event guide
Unpin the old announcement
Archive the duplicate “OT7” headline post
Merge useful cinema and broadcast information into the older guide
Use this new page as the permanent main record of what actually happened
This prevents visitors from landing on outdated text saying BTS “will perform” after the performance is already complete.
ARMY Note
Jung Kook went from opening the 2022 World Cup alone…
…to opening the 2026 performance and having six familiar silhouettes join him one by one 😭💜
From one member carrying the name during Chapter 2—
to seven members standing together at the centre of the world’s biggest football stage.
The song was “Dynamite.”
The stage was historic.
And Bangtan showed up as seven.
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