U2 to Play Halftime Show for NFL’s Thanksgiving Eve Game in What League Calls ‘a New NFL Holiday Tradition’

Although Thanksgiving Eve has not yet been recognized by everyone as a holiday in its own right, the National Football League is instituting what it calls “a new NFL holiday tradition” — a halftime performance by a major musical act for the game streaming on Netflix the night before turkey day. The artist selected for this year’s inaugural halftime blowout: U2.

Being Irish, the members of U2 will probably not be expected to be back in Dublin for any family Thanksgiving dinners, which will make it all the easier for them to be on the 50-yard line at SoFi Stadium on Nov. 25. The Los Angeles-area stadium will be the site of a matchup between the hometown Rams and the Green Bay Packers, with kickoff scheduled for 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET.

U2, of course, has some halftime experience on its resume, having performed at the Super Bowl in February 2002.

This NFL performance will follow shortly after the release of the band’s first album of new material in nine years, “Carnaval De Luz.”

The NFL and Netflix have already been looking to make a bigger deal out of non-Super Bowl halftime shows, putting on Christmas Day halftime shows the previous two years. The 2025 performance, billed as Snoop’s Holiday Halftime Party, featured Snoop Dogg, Lainey Wilson, Huntr/X and Andrea Bocelli participating in a Dec. 25, 2025 show at Minneapolis’ U.S. Bank Stadium. The previous year, it was Beyoncé on the big day for the “Beyoncé Bowl.” No plans for a 2026 Christmas halftime show have yet been announced.

Jesse Collins Entertainment is producing the U2 halftime show for Netflix and the NFL.

“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, in a statement. “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.”