Ayra Starr is set to make NFL history this weekend, becoming the first Afrobeats artist to headline a halftime show at one of the league’s international games. The Nigerian singer will perform at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday, October 11, during the matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Jacksonville Jaguars, as part of the NFL’s largest-ever international slate of games.

“I am so excited to perform at the NFL halftime show in London,” Starr said when the booking was announced. “I can’t wait to see you guys there!”

The 24-year-old singer, born Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, was selected by NFL organizers as part of a halftime lineup presented by American Express that spans seven countries across four continents this season. Tim Tubito, the NFL’s senior director of global game presentation, music and entertainment, called London “one of the most influential music cities in the world” and said Starr was the right choice for the moment. “Ayra Starr is a generational talent with a real connection to fans in this market,” Tubito said.

The timing lines up with a breakout year for Starr. Her third studio album, “Starrgirl,” released August 14 through Mavin Records and Republic Records, debuted on Billboard’s World Albums chart and features an international guest list that includes Wizkid, Rema, Leon Thomas and ZAYN. Fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are expected to hear a setlist built around singles like “Dangerous,” “Tornado” and “Gimme Dat,” her collaboration with Wizkid.

According to the NFL, Starr’s catalog has racked up more than 7 billion global streams and over 1 billion YouTube views. She is a two-time Grammy nominee for Best African Music Performance, has won a BET Award for Best International Act, and has performed on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury — credentials that have made her one of the most recognizable faces of Afrobeats’ continued crossover into global pop culture.

Starr’s selection follows a string of Afrobeats artists landing marquee NFL international bookings this season, part of a broader push by the league to court global audiences with culturally resonant entertainment. Nigerian superstar Burna Boy is separately set to headline the halftime show at the NFL’s first regular-season game in Paris on October 25, when the Pittsburgh Steelers face the New Orleans Saints at Stade de France — a show Tubito said was built to match an occasion that “deserves a halftime moment that matches the occasion.”

For Nigerian and wider West African audiences, Sunday’s kickoff carries added significance as a measure of how far Afrobeats has traveled commercially: an NFL game, broadcast to millions, built in part around a 24-year-old Beninese-Nigerian pop star’s catalog rather than treating African music as a novelty act. The Eagles-Jaguars game kicks off at 9:30 a.m. ET (2:30 p.m. local time) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with coverage reaching Nigerian audiences via SuperSport on DStv and GOtv, and international streaming available through NFL Game Pass on DAZN.

Whether or not Sunday’s performance draws comparisons to Rihanna’s or Beyoncé’s Super Bowl turns, organizers and fans alike are treating it as a milestone moment — proof that Afrobeats’ biggest stars are no longer just filling stadiums on their own continent, but headlining some of the world’s most-watched sporting stages.

Sources: Billboard, Parade, BellaNaija