Burna Boy headlines NFL halftime show at Stade de France in Paris
- Burna Boy performed at halftime of the Pittsburgh Steelers' game against the New Orleans Saints in Paris.
- It was the NFL's first regular-season game in France, held at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.
- French singer Yseult also performed, and Burna Boy returned to a stadium he sold out in 2025.
Nigerian Afrobeats star Burna Boy took the halftime stage on Sunday as the NFL played its first regular-season game in France, at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris.
The game was between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints. Burna Boy, whose real name is Damini Ogulu, shared the halftime show with French singer Yseult, as the league paired American football with live music in its push to reach fans outside the United States.
For Burna Boy, the night was a return to familiar ground. In April 2025 he became the first African artiste to headline a solo concert at the Stade de France, and the show sold out, drawing 80,000 fans.
What the singer said
In an interview shared on the official NFL France and NFL Instagram accounts, the Grammy winner described his music as a picture of everyday life, with its good and bad days and its highs and lows.
He said music is not held back by where a person comes from or what language they speak, and described himself as a kind of reporter who tells stories through melody.
“That’s why I’m not so creative; I’m just like a reporter with melodies and stuff,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from.”
He added that he sometimes does not sing in English, and that he sings to reach beyond the physical form, to the spirit.
He also said the performance was another chance to carry African music to a global audience.
Putting a Nigerian artiste at the centre of the NFL's first French regular-season showcase points to how far Afrobeats has travelled, from Lagos clubs to stadiums where American football is the main event.
For Nigerian fans, the moment is a reminder that the country's music is now part of global entertainment line-ups, not a side attraction. It also keeps the spotlight on a growing touring market that brings foreign fans, and foreign money, to Nigerian shows.
