Whereas Kendrick Lamar not too long ago achieved a significant mainstream accomplishment within the type of his Tremendous Bowl LIX halftime present, Drake may find yourself performing a halftime present of his personal that will possible trounce Ok-Dot’s record-breaking viewership numbers.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 is headed to North America subsequent 12 months, and for the primary time within the world soccer event’s practically 100-year run, the ultimate match will host a musical efficiency at halftime. Apparently sufficient, Drake’s title is being tossed round because the front-runner to headline the inaugural present at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19, 2026. Even FIFA President Gianni Infantino is totally right down to entertain the concept.
On Thursday (March 6), Infantino sat down with FOX 5 New York to debate all issues surrounding the World Cup coming stateside in 2026. When the subject of the newly introduced halftime present on the remaining match got here up, interviewer Rosanna Scotto instantly steered that the performer be Drake and the FIFA President was all about it. He particularly appreciated the concept that a possible efficiency from Drizzy would rival Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 Tremendous Bowl halftime present, throughout which Drake was dissed a number of occasions for your entire viewers to see.
“So, we will create a little bit of a rivalry,” Gianni Infantino replies after Drake was steered. “That is an excellent concept. Really, Drake was with us once we introduced the host cities. I ought to have his quantity nonetheless someplace.”
Whereas Drake hasn’t commented on the FIFA President’s consideration simply but, it might seem that he’d actually kick round the concept himself. In a dialog with Gianni Infantino simply final month, Drizzy made it clear that he’s a fan of the World Cup and is worked up that the event’s first recreation will happen in his dwelling metropolis of Toronto in June of subsequent 12 months.
“Canada as a complete, now we have simply such an unimaginable melting pot of individuals,” Drizzy instructed Infantino. “However in Toronto, particularly there are simply so many various cultural experiences. So, when the World Cup hits, it is stunning. It is an attractive time. Clearly, there’s ardour in lots of issues, however the ardour within the World Cup I feel is unmatched.”
As Drake and the FIFA President do look like on a really pleasant foundation, one high-profile Drake supporter seems to imagine Drizzy’s World Cup Last halftime efficiency is already a lock. Whereas arguing strongly on Drake’s behalf throughout a debate over the battle with Kendrick Lamar final November, Mal of the Rory & Mal podcast stated with confidence that Drake had already landed the World Cup gig throughout an interview on Rashad Bilal and Ian Dunlap’s present, Black Out.
“Drake is doing the World Cup,” Mal declared as a rebuttal to Bilal’s take that Kendrick is the rap recreation’s prime canine due to his Tremendous Bowl efficiency. “It is not the identical. You understand how many individuals watch the World Cup? I feel they tallied like 1.6 billion final time.”
Regardless of Mal’s declaration, DJ Akademiks, an typically equally staunch Drake supporter, was fast to refute the podcaster’s seemingly assured inside information only a few days later.
“The place are we getting that Drake is performing right here?” Ak stated in regards to the World Cup Last in direct response to Mal. “Once more, I am a Drake fan however we gotta simply stick with slightly little bit of details. It does not even point out a performer. Drake is an envoy for Canada as a number metropolis.”
Even with out affirmation, Drake’s potential halftime efficiency on the World Cup Last may discover Drizzy maybe getting one leg up on his seemingly perpetual foe, Kendrick Lamar. Whereas Ok-Dot dissed Drake in entrance of a record-breaking general viewing viewers of 133.5 million folks at this Tremendous Bowl halftime present, the ultimate match of the 2022 World Cup event raked within the eyeballs of a staggering 1.42 billion reside viewers globally. If the 2026 remaining can match that with Drake because the halftime performer, it is going to equal greater than 10 occasions the quantity of viewers Kendrick had.
As your entire world awaits an official announcement from the FIFA group, hip-hop tradition is actually paying shut consideration as to if or not the first-ever World Cup Last halftime present will function simply one other pawn within the unending chess match that’s Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar.
