Nigerian Afrobeats superstar Burna Boy will headline the halftime show when the National Football League stages its first-ever regular-season game in France later this year.

The Grammy Award-winning singer will perform at the Stade de France on Sunday, October 25, when the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the New Orleans Saints in the historic NFL Paris Game. Kick-off is scheduled for 2:30pm Central European Summer Time (9:30am ET). 

The fixture represents another major step in the NFL’s international expansion, with Paris among three new host markets introduced to the league’s regular-season schedule in 2026 alongside Melbourne and Rio de Janeiro. The NFL has scheduled a record nine international games across seven countries and four continents this season. 

For Burna Boy, the performance will mark a return to the iconic Stade de France, where he made history in April 2025 as the first African artist to headline a solo concert at the stadium.

The Nigerian star performed before a sold-out audience of more than 80,000 people during that landmark concert, further establishing his connection with the French capital and one of Europe’s most prominent sporting venues. 

Reacting to his NFL appointment, Burna Boy described the return to Paris as a significant moment in his career.

“Paris gave me one of the biggest nights of my career, and to walk back into Stade de France for a moment like this means everything,” he said.

“The NFL is bringing something to France that has never happened here before, and I get to stand in the middle of it representing African music, and I intend to give the people a show they will not forget.”

The NFL also revealed Burna Boy’s previous history at the venue and his connection to African music as key factors behind the selection.

NFL Senior Director of Global Game Presentation, Music and Entertainment, Tim Tubito, said the league wanted the Paris debut to have a performance befitting the occasion.

“The first NFL game in France deserves a halftime moment that matches the occasion, and there is no artist better suited to it than Burna Boy,” Tubito said. 

The Paris fixture is part of a broader international programme that will also take the NFL to Australia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany and Mexico during the 2026 season. 

Burna Boy’s appearance also adds another major international sporting platform to a year in which the Nigerian artist has already featured prominently on football’s biggest stage, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup final halftime show.

The NFL has previously staged 62 regular-season games outside the United States, with London, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dublin, São Paulo, Mexico City and Toronto among the cities to have hosted games. Paris will become the latest addition to that list. 

With the Steelers and Saints making history on the field and Burna Boy providing the halftime entertainment, the October 25 event is set to combine the NFL’s growing global reach with the international influence of African music.