Burna Boy to Headline Halftime Show at 2026 NFL Paris Game
Burna Boy is returning to the Stade de France, this time with the NFL.
The Grammy-winning Nigerian superstar has been announced as the headline performer for the halftime show at the 2026 NFL Paris Game, marking another major international stage for an artist whose career has increasingly blurred the lines between African music and global pop culture.
Burna Boy will perform on Sunday, October 25, when the Pittsburgh Steelers face the New Orleans Saints at the Stade de France. The game, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CEST, will be the NFL’s first regular-season game played in France, giving the occasion significance beyond the matchup itself.
For Burna Boy, however, the choice of venue adds another layer to an already significant announcement.
A Return to a Stadium He Already Made History In
The Stade de France is hardly unfamiliar territory for Burna Boy.
In April 2025, the Nigerian artist became the first African artist to headline a solo concert at the stadium, selling all 80,000 tickets for the historic show. The performance established another landmark in his increasingly global career and cemented his relationship with a French audience that has embraced his music well beyond Nigeria and the wider African market.
His return will therefore be less than 18 months after that milestone, although the setting will be considerably different. Instead of commanding the entire stadium for a headline concert, Burna will take the field during one of the NFL’s most recognizable entertainment traditions.
It also places him at the centre of the league’s expansion into France.
Burna Boy at the Centre of the NFL’s International Push
The Paris Game forms part of the NFL’s biggest international programme to date, with nine regular-season games scheduled across seven countries in 2026. Seven of those international games will feature halftime performances, making music a significant part of the league’s attempt to build cultural connections around its expanding global footprint.
Burna Boy is one of several major artists attached to this year’s international games. The Jonas Brothers performed at the Melbourne Game, while Pedro Sampaio and Ricky Martin are scheduled for Rio de Janeiro. Ayra Starr will perform at the London Game, with Cage The Elephant and The Warning set for Munich and Mexico City respectively.
The NFL’s choice of Burna Boy for Paris also reflects the city’s existing relationship with African music. Tim Tubito, the league’s senior director of global game presentation, music, and entertainment, said African music “sits right at the heart” of what Paris listens to, while pointing to Burna’s previous history at the stadium.
Another Global Stage for African Music
For Burna Boy, the announcement arrives at a point where his music has become increasingly intertwined with some of the world’s biggest cultural events.
The artist was among the performers at the 2026 FIFA World Cup halftime show, joining Shakira for their official tournament anthem, “Dai Dai.”
His NFL appearance now adds another globally recognised sporting platform to that run.
Burna has also accumulated a number of milestones that have helped establish him as one of the most visible African artists internationally. According to the NFL, he has received 13 Grammy nominations, became the first African artist to perform on the main Grammy Awards telecast and, in 2025, became the first African artist to headline the Stade de France.
The NFL is clearly leaning into that history with the Paris announcement. Burna himself acknowledged the significance of returning to the stadium, describing Paris as the site of “one of the biggest nights” of his career and framing the performance as an opportunity to represent African music on a new kind of stage.
And that distinction matters. The NFL isn’t bringing Burna Boy to Paris for another concert. It is placing an African artist at the centre of the entertainment programme for the league’s first regular-season game in France.
On October 25, the Stade de France will temporarily trade its usual concert configuration for an NFL field. At halftime, Burna Boy will take over that field with an audience drawn from football fans, Parisian music lovers and a global NFL audience.
For an artist who has spent the better part of a decade pushing African music into rooms that once seemed reserved for the world’s biggest pop stars, it is another very Burna Boy-sized stage.
And this time, Paris is already familiar with what happens when he gets one.
