Could Taylor Swift be headlining the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show? “Maybe,” says NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
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Swift has long been a top contender for a Super Bowl halftime show performance, and speculation that she’ll soon be headlining the coveted slot has picked up steam in recent weeks.
Speaking on the Today Show recently, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was asked if she would be headlining next year’s Super Bowl performance. He responded: “We would always love to have Taylor play. She is a special, special talent and obviously, she would be welcome at any time.”
When asked point blank if it was “in the works” for the 2026 slot, he deflected: “I can’t tell you anything about that.” When pressed for a firm answer, he coyly replied: “It’s a maybe.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says Taylor Swift doing the Super Bowl halftime show is a possibility.
(via @TODAYshow)pic.twitter.com/2KZ4b5F0IN
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 3, 2025
As for when 2026’s performer will be announced, Goodell said he’s waiting on the NFL’s music supervisor Jay-Z to finalise a date. Performers are typically announced between September and October the previous year – Kendrick Lamar was announced in September 2024 to headline this year’s sporting event.
Fans have been speculating that Swift would be headlining the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show in recent weeks. Last month, Swift made her first appearance on Travis Kelce’s New Heights podcast, where she announced her upcoming 12th album ‘The Life Of A Showgirl’.
For some fans, this was confirmation enough that she’ll headline the Super Bowl LX halftime show, because the choice to announce her album on there specifically seemed a puzzling, but perhaps intentional choice. Some have even pointed out potential hints captured throughout the podcast episode – check out “evidence” of this here.
Another act who have expressed their interest in the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show are metal legends Metallica, who noted that next year’s sporting event will take place in their hometown of San Francisco.
Speaking to Howard Stern recently, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich responded when asked if they were keen on playing the Super Bowl next year: “Fuck yeah, of course we would. First of all we would do it. Second of all to do it in San Francisco would be a dream come true and would be the right fit… Certainly as somebody who’s represented San Francisco all over the world and shouted for decades about San Francisco and our love for the Bay Area, that part of it is the right fit. Ultimately it’s not our decision.”
