Nigerian Afrobeats star Burna Boy will headline the halftime show when the Pittsburgh Steelers face the New Orleans Saints in the NFL’s first regular-season game in France on October 25.
The historic fixture will be played at Stade de France in Paris, with kickoff scheduled for 2:30 p.m. local time.
The NFL announced Burna Boy as the headline performer on September 17, adding an African music presence to the league’s first regular-season game in France.
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The game is part of the NFL’s 2026 international schedule, which features a record nine regular-season games outside the United States across seven international markets.
Paris is among three cities hosting their first NFL regular-season game this season, alongside Melbourne in Australia and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
Burna Boy, whose real name is Damini Ogulu, will return to Stade de France after making history at the venue in April 2025.
The Nigerian singer became the first African artist to headline a solo concert at the stadium, performing before a sold-out crowd of 80,000 people.
Reflecting on his return to the venue, Burna Boy said the NFL event would be another significant moment in Paris.
“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.”
NFL senior director of global game presentation, music and entertainment, Tim Tubito, said Burna Boy was a natural choice for the occasion because of his previous history at the stadium and his connection with Paris.
“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.
Burna Boy has become one of Africa’s most prominent global music acts since breaking into the international mainstream. He won the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album in 2021 for Twice As Tall.
The NFL has lined up other international performers for its 2026 games, including fellow Nigerian star Ayra Starr for the London fixture, while Pedro Sampaio and Ricky Martin are scheduled to perform at the Rio game.
The Steelers-Saints clash will be the first regular-season NFL game staged in France, extending the league’s international programme to another major European market.
The game is scheduled for October 25 at Stade de France, where Burna Boy will return to a venue that already holds a significant place in his career.
His halftime performance will give the NFL’s Paris debut an additional connection to African music while placing one of Nigeria’s biggest music exports before an international sports audience.
