Yes, Ayra Starr performed live as the headline halftime act at the NFL London Game on Sunday, 11 October 2026. She played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium during the Philadelphia Eagles against the Jacksonville Jaguars, becoming the first African artist to headline one of the NFL’s international games, according to BBC News.
She opened with “Heaven Baby” and also performed “Rush”, a “Hot Body” and “Ms. Paper” medley, “Santa” and “Dangerous”, notjustOK reported.
Ayra Starr NFL London halftime setlist
The songs below are as listed by notjustOK on the night. The opener is confirmed; the running order of the later songs was not published in full, so treat that order as unconfirmed.
| Song | Note |
|---|---|
| Heaven Baby | Opening song (notjustOK) |
| Rush | Her global hit |
| Hot Body and Ms. Paper | Performed as a medley |
| Santa | Performed |
| Dangerous | Performed |
Ayra Starr shared a link to the full performance on her X account, @ayrastarr, on 11 October.
Why the NFL London show matters for Afrobeats
BBC News said the performance made her the first African artist to headline an NFL international game halftime show. She told BBC Newsbeat before the show that the performance “itself is a message”.
“At the end of the day, as artists, we speak for the culture and we speak for the people that listen to us,” she told the BBC. She also said she wants female artists to have more “space in the genre”.
The London date was one of seven halftime shows the NFL is staging at its 2026 international games, according to NFL.com. The others include the Jonas Brothers in Melbourne and Burna Boy in Paris.
Starrgirl: the album behind the set
Ayra Starr told the BBC the show would feature songs from her new studio album, Starrgirl, which was released in August. “Sunday is gonna be amazing,” she said ahead of the game.
BBC News also listed two of her earlier records. She was the first African woman to win best international act at the MOBO Awards and the first Nigerian woman to pass one billion video views on YouTube.
Who won the Eagles v Jaguars London game?
The Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Philadelphia Eagles 19 to 17, AP reported. Cam Little kicked a 57-yard field goal at the end of the game to win it.
Did Ayra Starr lip-sync at the NFL halftime show?
We found no credible source for the lip-sync claim that circulated online. We also found no official confirmation of how the vocals were delivered, so we are not making a claim either way.
If the NFL, Mavin Records or Ayra Starr addresses it, we will quote them directly here.
How long was Ayra Starr’s halftime show?
An earlier version of this post said “exactly nine minutes”. We could not confirm any set length from the NFL, the broadcasters or her team, so that figure has been removed.
Ayra Starr streaming numbers after the NFL show: PENDING
The earlier version promised a breakdown of her official streaming numbers on 13 October. As of 10:30 AM WAT on 14 October 2026, neither Ayra Starr, Mavin Records nor the NFL had published post-show streaming figures that we could find.
We will add numbers only from an official account or a recognised chart source, with the date they were published.
Ayra Starr at the 2026 Headies
The show lands during awards season. Ayra Starr has five nominations at the 18th Headies, joint most among female artists with Tiwa Savage, according to Channels Television.
Her nominations include Song of the Year for “Hot Body” and Best Performer (Live) for her Global Citizen Festival 2025 set. See the full Headies 2026 nominees list for every category.
Next Nigerian act at the NFL: Burna Boy in Paris
Burna Boy headlines the halftime show at the NFL Paris Game on Sunday, 25 October 2026, at Stade de France, NFL.com announced. The game is the Pittsburgh Steelers against the New Orleans Saints.
NFL.com lists kick-off at 9:30 AM ET, which is 2:30 PM WAT. France moves off summer time that morning, so Paris and Lagos will be on the same clock.
In France the halftime show will be broadcast free to air on France Télévisions and on beIN Sports, according to NFL.com. Catch up on Burna Boy’s GTA 6 radio station news before then.
Key facts
- Date: Sunday, 11 October 2026
- Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
- Game: Philadelphia Eagles v Jacksonville Jaguars (Jaguars won 19 to 17)
- First: first African artist to headline an NFL international game halftime show (BBC)
- Opener: “Heaven Baby” (notjustOK)
- Album: Starrgirl, released August 2026 (BBC)
Next to check: Burna Boy’s NFL Paris halftime show at Stade de France on Sunday, 25 October 2026, kick-off 2:30 PM WAT.