Burna Boy is returning to the Stade de France, months after making African music history at the Paris landmark, but this time the Nigerian star will share the spotlight with one of America’s biggest sporting events.

The Grammy-winning singer has been selected as the halftime headliner for the National Football League’s first regular-season game in France, scheduled for October 25 between the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers.

The appearance comes less than two years after Burna Boy became the first African artiste to headline a solo concert at the stadium, drawing more than 80,000 spectators during his April 2025 performance.

His return will form part of the NFL’s broader international expansion in 2026, with the league staging nine regular-season games outside the United States. The Paris fixture is one of three cities hosting an NFL regular-season game for the first time, alongside Melbourne in Australia and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

For the Nigerian singer, whose real name is Damini Ogulu, the performance represents another high-profile engagement with a French audience at a venue with which he has already established a strong connection.

NFL senior director of global game presentation, music and entertainment, Tim Tubito, said Burna Boy’s international reach and connection with Paris contributed to his selection for the occasion.

The choice also puts Afrobeats at the centre of the entertainment programme for a major American sporting event as the NFL seeks to build a wider audience beyond the United States.

The Saints-Steelers game will consequently combine two international attractions at the Stade de France: the NFL’s first competitive appearance on French soil and a return by one of Africa’s biggest music exports to a stadium where he previously set a landmark for African performers.