Ayra Starr to Become First Afrobeats Star to Headline NFL International Game Halftime Show

The NFL has announced that Ayra Starr will headline a halftime show during one of its upcoming international matches in London this coming fall.

The Afrobeats star will perform during the halftime of an NFL London Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 2:30 p.m. BST (9:30 a.m. ET) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. She is the first Afrobeats star to be selected for an NFL International Game Halftime show.

The London performance will be part of a record seven halftime shows across this season’s international matches, presented by American Express. Starr’s halftime performance will be broadcast free to air on Channel 5 and on Sky Sports.

“I am so excited to perform at the NFL halftime show in London,” said Starr, who recently released her third studio album Starrgirl which landed at No. 4 on Billboard’s World Albums Chart. “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. I can’t wait to see you guys there!”

Tim Tubito, senior director of global game presentation, music and entertainment at the NFL, added, “The NFL London games are the foundation of everything we have built internationally, and the halftime show has become one of the biggest moments which makes these events so special. London is one of the most influential music cities in the world, and African music has been at the center of that conversation for years now. Ayra Starr is a generational talent with a real connection to fans in this market, and building on the halftime shows we have staged in London in recent seasons, she is the right artist to carry that momentum forward. We look forward to collaborating with her on a performance that captures the energy that matches the moment.”

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London will host two regular-season games in October; the first will be a match between the Indianapolis Colts and the Washington Commanders on Oct. 4. Details for that halftime show will be announced in due course.

Starr joins the Jonas Brothers and Ricky Martin and Pedro Sampaio as performers at the upcoming International Games. The former will perform at the NFL’s match in Melbourne, Australia on Sept. 10, while Martin and Sampaio will take on the performance in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sept. 27.

Matches will also be held in: Madrid, Spain; Mexico City, Mexico; Munich, Germany; and Paris, France.