Ayra Starr to Become First Afrobeats Act to Headline NFL London Halftime Show
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Ayra Starr will headline the halftime show at the 2026 NFL London Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars, becoming the first Afrobeats act selected for an NFL International Game halftime show.
Nigerian Afrobeats star Ayra Starr will headline the halftime show at the 2026 NFL London Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Jacksonville Jaguars, the NFL announced on Thursday, August 27, 2026, making her the first Afrobeats act ever selected to headline an NFL International Game halftime show.
The performance will take place on Sunday, October 11, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, kicking off at 2:30pm British Summer Time. It forms part of a record seven halftime shows presented by American Express across the NFL's 2026 International Games, spanning seven countries and four continents. Starr's set will be broadcast free-to-air in the UK on Channel 5 and on Sky Sports.
"I am so excited to perform at the NFL halftime show in London," Starr said in a statement. "London is one of my favourite places in the world and to bring Starrgirl to the NFL global stage is a dream come true for me." The Beninese-Nigerian singer, born Oyinkansola Aderibigbe, is a two-time Grammy nominee for Best African Music Performance and a BET Award winner who has amassed more than seven billion global streams since her 2021 debut. The announcement follows the release of her third studio album, "Starrgirl," which landed at No. 4 on Billboard's World Albums Chart. Tim Tubito, the NFL's senior director of global game presentation, music and entertainment, said Starr was "the right artist to carry that momentum forward" for African music on the league's international stage.