Inviting BTS to perform in the halftime show of the FIFA World Cup 2026 final is not only for entertainment but also considered a strategic decision of FIFA.
With this wise deal, FIFA both promotes the World Cup image to millions of new viewers, and increases the attractiveness of official souvenir products, while elevating the brand of the halftime show program.
Right from the time FIFA announced that BTS would participate in the final, this information quickly created an effect on global social networks. Not only football fans but also the music and K-pop community also focused their attention on the World Cup.
That effect is reflected through statistics on social networks. After the performance, BTS became the most mentioned person related to the 2026 World Cup final with more than 4.1 million mentions and more than 5 million interactions, surpassing many football stars and artists present at the event.
According to the Pulsar data analysis platform, BTS is also the name that occupies the most discussion in the halftime show program topic.
These figures show that FIFA has almost had another global promotion campaign thanks to the influence of BTS. The World Cup not only attracts football fans but also reaches the community of music and K-pop lovers, significantly expanding the coverage of the tournament.
The communication effect quickly transforms into commercial value.
This is clearly shown through the charity auction to raise funds for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund organized by FIFA in coordination with Christie's auction house.
The online auction lasting a week brought in more than 652,000 USD (about 17 billion VND), of which artifacts, clothes, and accessories associated with BTS brought in more than 300,000 USD, equivalent to about 46% of total revenue.
Notably, the Jimin shirt worn in the half-time program was successfully auctioned for 110,000 USD (about 2.9 billion VND), becoming the most valuable item on the auction, equivalent to the official match ball of the final match between Spain and Argentina.
Many other items of BTS also reached high prices such as V's scarf and Jung Kook's jacket at 46,200 USD, Suga's performance pants reaching 33,000 USD, J-Hope's gloves 28,600 USD, RM boots 19,800 USD and Jin's belt 16,500 USD.
These numbers partly explain why cooperation with BTS is considered "one job, two jobs", "one arrow hits many targets" of FIFA.
Instead of just inviting one artist to perform for about 15 minutes, this organization also created a global media effect, increasing the commercial value of souvenir products and increasing the attractiveness of the halftime show program.
For football fans, shirts, scarves or badges are keepsakes of a World Cup. Meanwhile, for ARMY, these are also items associated with a special milestone in BTS's career. Thanks to this, with the same product line, FIFA can reach two different customer groups, significantly expanding the buyer base.
Not only that, FIFA also elevated the brand of the half-time program. If previously this performance mainly played the role of creating an atmosphere before the second half, then at the 2026 World Cup, BTS's performance has become one of the most anticipated highlights of the final match, contributing to enhancing the value of the program in the eyes of audiences and commercial partners.
