Who Is Headlining the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show?
- The 2026 Super Bowl halftime show headliner has not been revealed yet, but according to several reports, negotiations are currently happening.
- Fans are convinced that Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, or Adele might be the headliner on football’s biggest night.
- Several reports suggest that their names are in the ring for the milestone moment.
On top of bringing football fans together for the biggest game of the season, the Super Bowl has also birthed many iconic pop culture moments thanks to its highly-coveted halftime show. Artists like Prince, Bruno Mars, Beyoncé, and Lady Gaga have taken over football stadiums for uninterrupted 15-minute performances dedicated to their musical legacies, and after Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s epic halftime show last year, fans have been theorizing which stars will take the stage for Super Bowl LX.
A few of the names floating around? That’d be football’s first lady, Taylor Swift, all-around icon Miley Cyrus, and—most recently—the 21st-century queen of power ballads, Adele. While the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show headliner remains a mystery, here’s why these artists make a compelling case…
Adele
Adele may be known for “Chasing Pavements,” but she could also be chasing the high of performing at the Super Bowl. According to a Sept. 18 report from Page Six, insiders claim that the Grammy winner is “in talks” to headline the show.
While Adele doesn’t have a longstanding relationship with the NFL like Miley and Taylor, she does have direct ties to one of sports’ biggest agents: her fiancé, Rich Paul. Nothing has been confirmed or denied about her involvement yet, but Adele has been to the Super Bowl to watch (and perhaps, study) Rihanna’s halftime show in 2023.
However, back in 2016, Adele told fans that she had turned down an offer to headline the 2017 Super Bowl (which ended up going to Lady Gaga). “First of all, I’m not doing the Super Bowl,” she told the crowd at an L.A. concert, per Page Six. “I mean, that show is not about music. I can’t dance or anything like that. They were very kind, they did ask me, but I did say no.”
Soon after, halftime sponsor Pepsi and the NFL debunked her claim in a statement, which read, “The NFL and Pepsi are big fans of Adele. We have had conversations with several artists about the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show. However, we have not at this point extended a formal offer to Adele or anyone else.”
Taylor Swift
Do we even need to explain this one? Taylor’s the most obvious contender right now as the Kansas City Chiefs’ unofficial cheerleader, thanks to her engagement to tight end Travis Kelce. But long before her love story with Travis, she’s worked with the NFL over the years to tease upcoming releases and drop easter eggs. Her track “…Ready For It?” premiered during a college football game teaser in 2017, and, of course, Taylor dropped a Midnights teaser during a game between the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals in 2022.
Swifties really started spiraling, however, when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell teased that they “would always love to have Taylor play” the halftime show during a Sept. 3 appearance on The Today Show. “She is a special, special talent, and obviously she would be welcome at any time,” he said, before revealing that she would “maybe” take the stage.
The Daily Mail also added fuel to the rumors the next day, reporting that she’s in negotiations with the NFL. “Negotiations are happening with Taylor to potentially do the next Super Bowl,” an insider told the outlet on Sept. 4. “The NFL would like to make the announcement sometime right before Thanksgiving.”
Miley Cyrus
Aside from this unconfirmed fan-made social post going viral, Miley has nearly two decades’ worth of fan-favorite songs, and she’s at the top of her game right now. She won her (long overdue!) first-ever Grammy for her megahit, “Flowers,” last year, and most recently, she dropped a deluxe version of her pop-opera visual album, Something Beautiful, featuring big names like Brittany Howard, David Byrne, Mick Fleetwood, and Lindsey Buckingham.
Not only is she clearly an industry favorite, but she’s beloved by tons of different demographics, from the twenty-somethings who grew up with her on Hannah Montana to their dads, who probably love her rock-leaning covers. If she were to take on the halftime show, it’d happen just before the 20th anniversary of Hannah Montana, too.
It’s important to note that Miss Miley also has ties to the NFL. During her Plastic Hearts era, she performed an hour-and-a-half set with Joan Jett and Billy Idol at TikTok’s Tailgate pre-show for essential workers ahead of the 2021 Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida. Her performance is full-on proof that she has what it takes to carry a 15-minute slot at the Super Bowl halftime show.
We’ve still got plenty of time before the 2026 Super Bowl is here, but considering Kendrick Lamar was announced as headliner on Sept. 8 last year, it might be any minute that we find out which of these music divas (if any!) will be taking the stage next February.
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