NFL chief predicts “great performance” from Bad Bunny

February 3, 2026 Oliver Obel

Bad Bunny’s selection as the Super Bowl 60 half-time headliner has placed the NFL at the centre of a broader cultural and political conversation, days before the league’s biggest game of the year.

The Puerto Rican artist, one of the most commercially successful musicians of the past decade, is set to take the stage in Santa Clara, California, during Sunday’s championship game, which is expected to draw more than 120 million viewers across the United States.

According to BBC reporting, the decision has prompted mixed reactions among fans, with some welcoming the milestone and others questioning the league’s choice because of the performer’s outspoken political views.

A historic booking

At 31, Bad Bunny will become the first solo male Latin artist to headline the Super Bowl half-time show. He is also widely expected to be the first performer to deliver the entire set in Spanish, a notable departure from previous shows that have largely catered to English-speaking audiences.

His appearance comes after a major moment at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, where he became the first Latin artist to win album of the year. During the ceremony, he joined other performers in criticising President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and voiced support for immigrants.

Industry figures cited by the BBC note that Bad Bunny has been Spotify’s most streamed artist in four of the past six years, highlighting his global appeal beyond the US market.

Goodell addresses controversy

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell publicly defended the league’s decision as Super Bowl week opened in the San Francisco Bay Area.

“Bad Bunny is one of the greatest artists in the world and that's one of the reasons we chose him,” Goodell said at a Monday news conference. He added that the singer understood the significance of the platform he was being given.

“This platform is used to unite people and to be able to bring people together with their creativity, with their talent,” Goodell said, adding that previous performers had approached the show in a similar spirit. He said he expected “a great performance” on Sunday.

The NFL has increasingly framed the half-time show as a global entertainment event rather than a purely American spectacle, a shift that has sometimes drawn political and cultural debate.

Security and federal coordination

Bad Bunny has previously said he avoided touring in the United States over concerns that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents could target fans at his concerts. At the Grammys, he echoed those concerns, saying “ICE out.”

Asked whether federal immigration enforcement would be active around the Super Bowl, Goodell emphasised that security planning remained unchanged.

“It’s a tier-one level event,” he said, explaining that federal, state and local authorities were coordinating as they do for every Super Bowl. “The federal government is a big part of that, including this administration and every administration before that.”

Super Bowl week officially began in San Jose, where players and staff from the two competing teams were scheduled to meet fans and media ahead of Sunday’s game.

Sources: BBC, NFL press conference coverage