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Bad Bunny to perform 2026 Super Bowl halftime show

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Bad Bunny is headed to the Super Bowl.

A week after he concluded his 31-date Puerto Rico residency, the reggaeton superstar was revealed as the headliner for the Super Bowl LX halftime show in 2026. The news was announced Sunday, Sept. 28, during the Sunday Night Football game between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers.

Hours before the announcement was officially shared, rumors of Bad Bunny as the headliner were circulating online. Then, finally, Bad Bunny − in a collaboration post with the NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation − shared a video of himself sitting atop a goal post on a beach as his ‘Callaíta’ plays in the background.

‘Super Bowl LX. Bay Area. February 2026,’ the post was captioned.

In a nod to his Puerto Rican heritage, Bad Bunny wore a pava, a traditional hat made from leaves of the Puerto Rican hat palm. ‘What I’m feeling goes beyond myself,’ Bad Bunny said in a statement shared by the NFL. ‘This is for my people, my culture, and our history.’

Bad Bunny to perform at Super Bowl 2026 amid world tour dates

‘Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL,’ the musician added, which translates to, ‘Go on and tell your grandma that we’ll be at the Super Bowl halftime show.’

Bad Bunny may have wrapped his sold-out residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico, but he’s not necessarily taking a holiday before hitting the Super Bowl stage in February. The ‘Tití Me Preguntó’ artist kicks off his 24-date Debí Tirar Más Fotos world tour in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Nov. 21.

The tour will include stops in Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, Japan, Spain and the United Kingdom.

The 2026 Super Bowl, scheduled for Feb. 8, lands a day after Bad Bunny wraps three nights in Santiago, Chile, Feb. 5-7. The football game will be held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

Bad Bunny technically made his Super Bowl debut in 2020 when he performed during Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s co-headlining halftime show.

Jay-Z says what Bad Bunny has done for Puerto Rico ‘is truly inspiring’

On Sept. 28, rapper Jay-Z said in a statement he was ‘honored’ to have Bad Bunny on ‘the world’s biggest stage.’

‘What Benito has done and continues to do for Puerto Rico is truly inspiring,’ he said.

‘Bad Bunny represents the global energy and cultural vibrancy that define today’s music scene. As one of the most influential and streamed artists in the world, his unique ability to bridge genres, languages, and audiences makes him an exciting and natural choice to take the Super Bowl halftime stage,’ said Jon Barker, SVP of plobal event Production for the NFL, in a statement.

‘We know his dynamic performances, creative vision, and deep connection with fans will deliver the kind of unforgettable experience we’ve come to expect from this iconic cultural moment.’

Super Bowl halftime news comes amid Bad Bunny’s ICE comments

In an interview with I-D magazine published earlier this month, the ‘Caught Stealing’ star said his decision to omit the U.S. from his upcoming world tour was out of concern for the U.S. political climate.

‘There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the U.S., and none of them were out of hate,’ he told the outlet. He cited the Trump administration’s mass deportation of Latinos as a motivation for his decision to stop doing shows in the U.S.

‘ICE could be outside (my concert). And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about,’ he said.

Taylor Swift was rumored to be the Super Bowl halftime show performer

Before Sunday night’s big reveal, it had been rumored that Taylor Swift might strengthen her NFL ties by headlining the 2026 Super Bowl. Responding to speculation, however, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told the ‘Today’ show that he couldn’t ‘tell you anything about’ it but that ‘it’s a maybe.’

The Super Bowl halftime show was most recently headlined by Kendrick Lamar in February. The rapper delivered an electrifying performance that featured Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Sam and tennis legend Serena Williams. Lamar’s set included his massively popular song ‘Not Like Us,’ a diss track directed at Drake.

Lamar ‘defied conventions, dazzled with metaphoric wordplay and jabbed the ears of those who scowled at the idea of a rapper headlining solo,’ USA TODAY music writer Melissa Ruggieri said. SZA also joined the rapper during the performance.

The prior year, Usher headlined the Super Bowl halftime show in 2024. He brought out Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Will.i.am., Lil Jon, Jermaine Dupri and Ludacris as special guests. In 2023, Rihanna took the stage and revealed she was pregnant with her second child. And in 2022, the halftime show featured performances by Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Lamar.

Other halftime show performers in recent years have included The Weeknd, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, Maroon 5 and Justin Timberlake.

Who’s performed at the Super Bowl halftime show? Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, more

Kendrick Lamar (2025)
Usher (2024)
Rihanna (2023)
Eminem, Dr. Dre., Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige featuring 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak (2022)
The Weeknd (2021)
Shakira and Jennifer Lopez featuring Bad Bunny, J Balvin and Emme Muniz (2020)
Maroon 5, Travis Scott, Big Boi (2019)
Justin Timberlake featuring The Tennessee Kids (2018)
Lady Gaga (2017)
Coldplay featuring Beyoncé and Bruno Mars (2016)

This post appeared first on USA TODAY