Ahead of the upcoming World Cup, a number of well-known figures have joined the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund’s Advisory Board, including Shakira and The Weeknd, it was revealed on Monday, October 27.
Along with other board members Ivanka Trump, Hugh Jackman, Gianni Infantino, Hugh Evans, and Serena Williams, as well as other “leading figures across entertainment, sports, and business,” the Canadian hitmaker and Latin music superstar will oversee the fund’s initiatives to increase access to education globally. To offer advice and make sure the fund “achieves maximum impact” before the 2026 FIFA World Cup next summer, they will draw on their own professional and personal experiences.
Global Citizen hopes to serve 100,000 children in more than 200 communities worldwide by raising $100 million for educational initiatives. Early in 2026, the first round of grantees will be revealed; to apply, go to globalcitizen.org/education-fund-application.
The announcement in March that Chris Martin of Coldplay will curate FIFA’s first-ever Super Bowl-style halftime show for the 2026 World Cup, which will take place at the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, comes months after news of the board’s A-list membership. At the time, FIFA president Gianni Infantino declared, “This will be a historic moment for the FIFA World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world.”
Global Citizen is a multidimensional charity that uses campaigns, conferences, and other awareness-raising events to address important issues like poverty, inequality, and climate change. Martin will perform alongside Anitta, Charlie Puth, Seu Jorge, and others at this weekend’s Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia in Brazil, which is the inaugural Global Citizen Fest in Latin America. The event aims to raise $1 billion for the preservation, restoration, and rewilding of the Amazon rainforest while elevating the voices of local communities and indigenous peoples.
According to Global Citizen, 350 million children do not attend school globally at the moment of their cooperation with FIFA.
