Nigerian-Beninese singer Ayra Starr is set to make history on Sunday, October 11, 2026, when she headlines the halftime show at the National Football League’s London Game.
The Afrobeats star will perform during the match between the Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, United Kingdom.
The performance will make Starr the first African artist to headline the halftime show at an international NFL game, marking another milestone for African music as it reaches audiences beyond the continent.
The NFL announced her selection ahead of the game, which kicks off at 2:30 p.m. British Summer Time.
The announcement has also generated interest because of the global profile of the Super Bowl halftime show.
However, Starr’s performance will take place during a regular-season NFL international fixture, not the Super Bowl.
In an announcement published on its official website, the NFL described Starr as one of the defining voices of a new generation of global pop music emerging from Africa.
The singer has accumulated more than seven billion global streams and one billion YouTube views since making her debut in 2021, according to the league.
Speaking to BBC Newsbeat ahead of the show, Starr described the significance of performing on such a prominent international platform.
She said the performance carried a message beyond the music itself.
Her appearance comes as African artists continue to build international audiences through streaming platforms, major festivals and collaborations with musicians from other markets.
“At the end of the day, as artists, we speak for the culture and we speak for the people that listen to us,” she told BBC Newsbeat.
“And we have to represent any way that seems fit, that they need.”
Starr said she considered it important for artists to take advantage of opportunities to represent their communities and cultures on global stages.
She also acknowledged the growing international profile of Afrobeats, a genre that has increasingly found audiences outside West Africa.
“The rest of the world is just catching up,” she said of the genre’s growing popularity, noting that the music had already been popular across Africa for years.
Her NFL appearance follows other international milestones, including her performance at Glastonbury Festival in the United Kingdom.
Starr has confirmed that her NFL halftime set will feature songs from Starrgirl, her third studio album, which she released on August 14, 2026.
The album includes collaborations with international and African artists, including ZAYN, Leon Thomas and Wizkid. The singer did not reveal the full setlist ahead of the performance, telling BBC Newsbeat that she was still preparing for the show.
“Sunday is gonna be amazing,” she said.
“I’m still in rehearsals. It’s a lot of work we’re putting in so I’m really excited.”
The appearance gives Starr an opportunity to introduce her latest music to a broad international audience, including American football fans who may not regularly follow Afrobeats.
The NFL has increasingly used live music performances to complement its international fixtures as it expands its presence in markets outside the United States.
Tim Tubito, the NFL’s senior director of global game presentation, music and entertainment, said Starr’s connection with London audiences influenced the decision.
“London is one of the most influential music cities in the world, and African music has been at the center of that conversation for years now,” he said in the league’s announcement.
Tubito described Starr as “a generational talent with a real connection to fans in this market”.
He added that the league wanted to build on the halftime performances it had staged in London in previous seasons.
The 2026 international schedule includes a record seven halftime shows across seven countries and four continents.
Other announced performers include the Jonas Brothers, who headlined the Melbourne Game, and Ricky Martin and Brazilian DJ Pedro Sampaio, who performed at the Rio de Janeiro fixture.
Burna Boy is scheduled to headline the Paris Game on October 25, while Colombian singer Manuel Turizo will perform at the Madrid Game on November 8. Rock acts Cage the Elephant and The Warning are also on the international lineup.
The performances form part of the league’s wider effort to connect with audiences through entertainment as it stages more regular-season games outside the United States.
At 24, Starr has built an international following through songs such as Rush, Bloody Samaritan and Sability.
