On a night where soccer and music came together in one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year, Colombian J Balvin was in charge of adding the Latin flavor to the halftime show of the FIFA Club World Cup final.
But the big surprise came at the end: the unannounced appearance of the British band Coldplay.
A first class production
The match, which took place between Chelsea FC and Paris Saint-Germain at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, provided the backdrop for a world-class musical production.
In front of more than 81,000 viewers and millions more via global broadcast, J Balvin delivered a vibrant performance that highlighted the power of Latin reggaeton on the international stage.
Latino pride on the global stage
Here’s how @JBALVIN’ s presentation went during the Club World Cup final! pic.twitter.com/U1RQHipiXw
– Juanjo Guerrero (@Juanjo_guerrero) July 13, 2025
J Balvin took the stage on the highest part of the stadium, surrounded by a visual spectacle dominated by the yellow, blue and red colors of the Colombian flag.
The singer, a global icon of urban music, performed two of his most recognized hits: “Mi Gente” and “Reggaeton”, accompanied by a multicultural dance troupe and lighting effects to the rhythm of Latin percussion.
His presence was not only musical, but symbolic: a sign of the weight that Hispanic culture -and in particular Colombian culture- has today in the global entertainment industry.
His performance resonated especially with Latinos in the U.S., who make up a key part of the soccer-playing and consuming public for MLS and FIFA events.
Coldplay surprises audiences with a never-before-seen collaboration
Incredible Coldplay’s participation
At halftime of the Club World Cup final with the song
“Sky Full Stars” pic.twitter.com/POROs8EMcK– Capitan Almeida.Clima (@capitanAlmeida) July 13, 2025
The show reached its climax when Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay and musical supervisor of the event, appeared on stage with the other artists.
Together with his band, he performed “A Sky Full of Stars” in an unexpected fusion of British pop, electronic music and reggaeton.
J Balvin, Doja Cat, Tems and Irish-Australian singer Emmanuel Kelly joined Coldplay at the close, making the show a unique collaboration that broke barriers of genre, language and style.
The joint performance was received with euphoria by the public and is already shaping up to be one of the viral moments of the tournament.
A commitment to diversity and inclusion
Buzzy
This year, the organizing committee of the Club World Cup opted for a spectacle that reflected the diversity of today’s soccer.
The choice of artists such as J Balvin and Tems -referents from Latin America and Africa respectively- as well as the inclusion of Emmanuel Kelly, an activist and musician born with a disability, highlighted a message of global unity through music.
These types of productions consolidate the idea that major sporting events are not just competitions, but platforms to celebrate culture, inclusion and global identity.
And for the U.S. Hispanic community, seeing one of their own shine on that stage reaffirms the space they have gained in the global cultural conversation.
J Balvin gave a glimpse of the weight that Hispanic culture has today in the global entertainment industry
