Ayra Starr to Headline NFL London Halftime Show Oct. 11
Photo: Billboard
The NFL’s international expansion is getting another major dose of music and culture.
Afrobeats superstar Ayra Starr will headline the halftime show when the Philadelphia Eagles face the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2026 NFL London Game on Oct. 11 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the league announced.
The performance, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. BST (9:30 a.m. ET), will put one of Afrobeats’ biggest global stars on the NFL stage as the league continues expanding its presence beyond the United States.
For Starr, the London performance adds another major international moment to a rapidly growing career.
The Beninese-Nigerian singer and songwriter has accumulated more than 7 billion global streams and 1 billion YouTube views since making her debut in 2021. She is a two-time Grammy nominee for Best African Music Performance, a BET Award winner for Best International Act and has performed on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival.
Her latest album, Starrgirl, was released Aug. 14 and features collaborations with artists including ZAYN, Leon Thomas and Wizkid.
“I am so excited to perform at the NFL halftime show in London,” Starr said. “London is one of my favorite places in the world and to bring Starrgirl to the NFL global stage is a dream come true for me.”
NFL London becomes a stage for global music
Starr’s performance is part of a record seven halftime shows scheduled across the NFL’s 2026 International Games.
The league is staging international games across seven countries and four continents this season, marking its largest international schedule to date.
The London games remain an important part of that strategy. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will host two regular-season games on consecutive Sundays, with the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Commanders meeting Oct. 4 before the Eagles and Jaguars take the field the following week.
Tim Tubito, the NFL’s senior director of global game presentation, music and entertainment, said London’s influence as a global music city made Starr a natural fit for the event.
“African music has been at the center of that conversation for years now,” Tubito said. “Ayra Starr is a generational talent with a real connection to fans in this market.”
The choice also reflects the increasingly global nature of both the NFL and Afrobeats.
From “Rush” to the NFL stage
Starr rose to international prominence through her music, with the 2022 hit “Rush” becoming one of the defining songs of her breakthrough.
The song has nearly 1 billion global streams and helped establish Starr as one of the leading voices in the new generation of Afrobeats artists.
Her résumé has continued to grow. Starr became the first African woman to win Best International Act at the MOBO Awards and the first woman in 16 years to win Best African Music Act.
She also made history as the first and youngest Nigerian female artist nominated for a Grammy in the Best African Music Performance category in 2024.
Now, the NFL stage adds another global platform.
A record international NFL season
Starr’s performance is arriving during a season in which the NFL is pushing further into international markets.
The league has previously played 62 regular-season games outside the United States, with cities including London, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dublin, São Paulo, Mexico City and Toronto hosting games.
The 2026 schedule expands that footprint further, with games scheduled in London, Madrid, Melbourne, Mexico City, Munich, Paris and Rio de Janeiro. Melbourne, Paris and Rio de Janeiro are new international markets for the league this season.
The NFL’s London games have become more than football contests. The combination of live sports, music and entertainment has helped transform the events into broader cultural showcases.
Starr’s halftime performance continues that evolution.
Her full performance will be broadcast live in the United Kingdom on free-to-air Channel 5 and Sky Sports.
With the NFL continuing to take its product into new markets and Afrobeats continuing its global rise, the Oct. 11 matchup between Philadelphia and Jacksonville will offer more than a football game.
It will also be another opportunity for the NFL to connect its international audience through the intersection of football, music and global culture.