U2 Announced for Historic NFL Halftime Show
The band will headline the halftime show for the league’s first-ever Thanksgiving Eve game, a 50th-anniversary milestone that arrives just days before their new album.
The NFL has locked in rock legends U2 to headline the halftime show for the first-ever Thanksgiving Eve Football Game. The landmark game is scheduled for next month, and the league is promising a massive, tech-forward production built for the new primetime slot.
The matchup puts the Green Bay Packers on the road against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Wednesday, November 25, 2026. It is the first time the league has played on Thanksgiving Eve, and booking one of the biggest live acts in rock history shows how much weight the NFL is putting behind the new date.
Game and Broadcast Details
The primetime event is designed as a holiday kickoff, expanding the traditional Thanksgiving football slate to a night earlier than usual.
| Date | Wednesday, November 25, 2026 |
| Matchup | Green Bay Packers at Los Angeles Rams |
| Venue | SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California |
| Kickoff | 8:00 PM ET (5:00 PM local PT) |
| Where to watch | Streaming globally on Netflix; airing locally on NBC-4 in the Los Angeles market |
The game and the halftime performance will both stream worldwide on Netflix, which means U2’s set will reach a global audience in real time. Viewers in the Los Angeles market can also watch on NBC-4.
A Milestone Performance
The halftime production doubles as a 50th-anniversary celebration for U2, who formed in Dublin in 1976. It also marks the band’s first return to an NFL halftime stage in nearly 25 years, following their unforgettable and emotional performance at Super Bowl XXXVI in February 2002. That show remains one of the most talked-about halftime moments in the game’s history, so the return is a notable full-circle event for fans of both the band and the league.
A New Album Is Right Behind It
The timing is no accident. U2 are setting up the show right on the heels of their 16th studio album, Carnaval de Luz, which arrives November 13, 2026. That puts the record in stores less than two weeks before the halftime performance, giving the band a huge platform to introduce new songs to a mainstream audience alongside their biggest hits.
Between the 50th anniversary, a new album, and a global streaming audience, the Thanksgiving Eve halftime show has the makings of one of the biggest music moments of the fall.
