The NFL has seemingly confirmed that it did, in fact, choose Jay-Z as the Halftime Show performer for Super Bowl LXI. The big game will be taking place on February 14, 2027.

Now, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has issued comments on the selection. “So many things go into that as we go into the process, and Jay does his thing,” Goodell said. “We’ve always wanted this to happen at some point. It was something I asked him about at the time when we first started this, and he said, Yeah, we’ll see, let’s see what happens’-but it was clear he wanted it to happen.

“We’ve talked about it a couple of times,” he added. “I think the fact that he’s in his 30th anniversary year of his first album, he just finished his tour, it’s L.A., he’s at that point as the GOAT that he’s ready for it. He was pretty clear: ‘I wanna do it this year.’ I guess I was more excited than anything, maybe a little surprised, because he keeps putting it off a little bit. But I think he’s already got his vision; he already understands what he wants to do.”

Jay-Z has been a producer of the Super Bowl Halftime Show since 2019

“He’s been so remarkable in helping us elevate the whole Super Bowl halftime show,” Goodell continued. “He’s a genius, and not just a creative genius in a musical sense. His business sense, his sense of timing, his sense of what’s necessary in the world-he’s just got that. I trust him, and I trust his point of view.”

Jay-Z and his Roc Nation company have been producing the Super Bowl Halftime Show since 2019. This makes Goodell’s statement about Jay-Z “putting it off a little bit” very interesting. We can surmise that he wanted to headline the show years ago, but for one reason or another, he chose not to.

In a previous statement, Goodell made it clear that he has always wanted Jay to perform. “When we first reached an agreement with Roc Nation to produce the show, I had just one request,” he said. “That Jay-Z take the stage himself one day, whenever the moment felt right to him.” Well, that moment has arrived.

Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images

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A lot of people have thoughts about Jay-Z reportedly picking himself for the 2027 Super Bowl Halftime Show. One of those people is Joe Budden, who thinks the purported announcement is “anticlimactic.”

During an episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, the host did not candy-coat his feelings. “I’m not excited about it,” he said. “Cool, I’m a Jay-Z fan. So, cool either way. You do it, awesome. You don’t. But am I excited about it? Hell no.”

He then added, “Actually, this is probably the most anticlimactic announcement that you could possibly have.”

Rumors have been swirling that Jay and the Roc Nation team are pushing for him to be the next Halftime Show performer. However, no formal announcement has been made.

It has not been officially announced that Jay-Z will be the 2027 Super Bowl Halftime Performer

While the Super Bowl Halftime Show performer is still technically undetermined, the NFL’s pre-Thanksgiving game will feature an iconic rock band. U2 has been chosen to perform at halftime for the Nov. 25 game between the Packers and Rams.

The game will stream on Netflix, with coverage beginning at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT live from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

“There’s a reason U2 has headlined stadiums for decades: they don’t just perform; they deliver iconic moments audiences remember forever,” said Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix. “We’re thrilled that they’ll bring that same magic to the NFL stage on Netflix. It’s going to be an unforgettable night for football fans and Netflix members worldwide.”

U2 and Cage The Elephant are both playing NFL halftime shows this year

Additionally, the NFL previously announced that Cage The Elephant will headline a halftime show during the 2026 season. The band will perform at the Munich game between the New England Patriots and Detroit Lions. That game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. CET (9:30 a.m. ET) on Sunday, November 15.

“We have played a lot of shows in Germany over the years, and the crowds here have always given us everything they have,” said Cage the Elephant frontman Matt Shultz. “Playing a halftime show is a completely different animal. You get one shot in front of a stadium and a global audience, and you have to make every second count. We are going to bring the same energy we bring to our own shows, and we cannot wait.”

Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images

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A company introducing a new social media account isn’t much of a surprise, especially not a big video game company like EA. But when it takes to X with a dedicated account to announce the return of a fan-favorite franchise, that’s pretty special. 

Under the handle @EASPORTSFN, the developer announced a new Fight Night game is in the works. The solo post features a simple image of a pair of boxing gloves bathed in a spotlight, dangling above an empty boxing ring, with the words “The fight is never over.” The caption is also simple – “To everyone who stayed in our corner: Fight Night is back”, followed by a boxing glove and heart emojis. 

This will be the first Fight Night game since Fight Night Champion was released back in 2011. That’s a fifteen-year wait for sports game fans. As of right now, little is known about the upcoming game except the fact that it’s on the way. Still, after all this time, even this tiny tidbit is thrilling. 

To everyone who stayed in our corner:

Fight Night is coming back. #FightNight pic.twitter.com/THPwtB7hTC

— EA SPORTS Fight Night (@EASPORTSFN) October 20, 2026

Fight Night is back after a hiatus of more than ten years 

The Fight Night series first launched in 2004, following the Knockout Kings series, which began in 1998 and continued until 2003. Fight Night, as its name suggests, puts the player in the shoes of a boxer facing real-life boxing legends like Muhammad Ali and Evander Holyfield. Boxers could duke it out with their opponents using Total Punch Control, where moving the joysticks or using the bumpers determined how punches landed. The game also offered a career mode that let players guide their boxer through the ranks, eventually earning a shot at becoming a world champion. 

Next came Fight Night Round 2 in 2005, which expanded Total Punch Control to introduce the Haymaker, a more powerful punch. Round 2 included Little Mac from Nintendo’s Punch-Out!! franchise as a playable character. Round 3 followed in 2006, and Round 4 came in 2009. The series ended with Fight Night Champion in 2011, which offered a grittier, more intense game meant to highlight the violent nature of real-life boxing. It introduced a new feature called Full-Spectrum Punch Control, which made it even easier to land a match-winning hit. 

For gamers eager for this new installment, Fight Night Champion is still available on Xbox. Hopefully it will pass the time a little faster until EA reveals new information, like a potential release date or year. 

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