The Steelers beat the Saints 16-10 at Stade de France in the NFL's first regular-season game in France, with Burna Boy performing at halftime.
Afrobeats star Burna Boy, born Damini Ogulu, performed at the halftime show of the NFL's 2026 Paris game on Sunday, October 25. The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the New Orleans Saints 16-10 at Stade de France, in the league's first regular-season game in France. Footage circulating on Instagram showed him running through Ye, On The Low and Last Last.
Before the set, he said what he hoped the night would be like, drawing on his last show at the venue:
"If it is anything like my shows, like the last time I was here? Then, it would be amazing."
The set opened with 4 Kampe II, his collaboration with French-Haitian singer Joe Dwet File, which gave the performance a Caribbean-influenced sound. French singer Yseult joined him on stage, adding a local flavour.
Burna Boy has performed at other major sporting events. Back in 2023, he took part in two big sporting events: the NBA All-Star Game plus the kickoff show for the UEFA Champions League final. Earlier in 2026 he and Colombian megastar Shakira performed at the first-ever FIFA World Cup halftime show. His slot came weeks after fellow Nigerian artist Ayra Starr became the first act to headline an NFL halftime show.
The game was played while France was going through a period of civil unrest, with violence and looting having led to heightened security and the cancellation of fan activations, Sky Sports reported. Football went ahead as planned. Sky Sports called the gameday presentation spectacular, with a rendition of the French national anthem and the halftime show. Aaron Rodgers found Darnell Washington in the end zone to pass Peyton Manning on the third-most touchdown passes in NFL history during the Steelers' win.
Burna Boy has more Grammy nominations than any other Nigerian artist, totalling 13. The album Twice As Tall earned him the Best Global Music Album honour in 2021. April 2025 marked the point at which he became the first African act to give a solo headline show at Stade de France.
Sky Sports writes that there is a strong belief the NFL will return to Paris for another game next year.
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