Ayra Starr NFL halftime show: she opens with Heaven Baby in London

Updated 11:25am WAT, Tuesday, 13 October 2026: the NFL has posted the full halftime show on its official YouTube channel, now at the top of this story.

Updated 5:25pm WAT, Sunday, 11 October 2026: Ayra Starr has performed. Setlist, halftime score and the NFL’s own post added.

Ayra Starr opened the NFL halftime show at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London with “Heaven Baby” on Sunday, 11 October, during the Philadelphia Eagles v Jacksonville Jaguars game. The Eagles led 14-7 at the break, according to the team’s live game updates.

Her set also took in “Rush”, “Hot Body” and “Santa”, according to music site notJustOk and sports site Bolavip, both writing after the show. At 5:01pm WAT, the NFL’s UK and Ireland account on X posted photos of her with the line “Our London Games halftime Starr”.

TheCable had called her the first African artiste to headline an NFL halftime show, and she used the same claim herself on X on 7 October. Here is what she sang, what the record shows and where the game stood.

When was Ayra Starr’s NFL halftime show?

The Eagles v Jaguars game kicked off at 2:30pm BST on Sunday, 11 October, which is 2:30pm WAT, because UK summer time runs until 25 October. Ayra Starr came on at halftime, after the second quarter, and US sports site The Big Lead had clips of the set online by 4:36pm WAT.

In the UK, the NFL said the full halftime performance would be shown live and free to air on 5, and on Sky Sports.

What did Ayra Starr perform at the NFL halftime show?

Ayra Starr opened with “Heaven Baby”, the Starrgirl single whose official video she released on 5 October, then moved through her bigger hits. Here is the set as the post-show reports give it:

• “Heaven Baby” (opener; notJustOk, Bolavip, The Big Lead)
• “Rush” (all three)
• “Hot Body” (all three; notJustOk says it ran into “Ms. Paper”)
• “Santa” (notJustOk and Bolavip, which also list “Dangerous”)

The reports agree on the opener and the big three. They differ slightly on the medleys, and the NFL had not published an official setlist as of 5:25pm WAT. The night before, she posted on X that she had “been working on something special”.

Who has done the NFL London halftime show before?

Last season’s two halftime shows at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium both went to British stars, and the games in Dublin and São Paulo had British and Latin headliners, according to the Associated Press:

• Sunday, 5 October 2025: RAYE played a set of nearly seven minutes at Vikings v Browns, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
• Sunday, 12 October 2025: rapper Giggs performed at Broncos v Jets, at the same stadium.
• Late September 2025: Myles Smith headlined in Dublin, and Karol G performed in São Paulo earlier that month.

None of the headliners in the AP’s round-up was African. The league’s own announcement did not use the word “first”; Ayra Starr did, on X on 7 October.

How did Ayra Starr get here?

Her climb has been quick. Born Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, she is 24:

• 2021: Bloody Samaritan becomes her breakout hit, and she releases her debut album, 19 & Dangerous.
• 2024: Rush is up for Best African Music Performance at the Grammys in February, and she releases The Year I Turned 21.
• August 2026: she releases Starrgirl.
• Late August 2026: the NFL names her as the London halftime headliner.
• Saturday, 10 October 2026: she speaks to BBC Newsbeat about the show.
• Sunday, 11 October 2026: she opens her halftime set at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with “Heaven Baby”.

She is also nominated for Best Female Artiste at the 18th Headies, Arise News reported in August. On Saturday, the organisers moved that ceremony to April 2027, TheCable Lifestyle reported.

Can you watch the NFL London game in Nigeria?

As of 8:45pm WAT on Saturday, 10 October, GistMatrix could not confirm a Nigerian TV channel carrying the game. Outside the US, the NFL streams games through its NFL Game Pass service on DAZN, but GistMatrix could not confirm that this game is available in Nigeria.

What happens next

The Headies, where Ayra Starr is up for Best Female Artiste, now holds its 18th ceremony in April 2027, the organisers said on 10 October. The full set is now on the NFL’s official YouTube channel, under the title “Ayra Starr FULL Halftime Show at the London Game”, and it is embedded at the top of this story.

FAQ

What did Ayra Starr sing at the NFL halftime show?
She opened with “Heaven Baby” and also performed “Rush”, “Hot Body” and “Santa”, according to notJustOk and Bolavip, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 11 October 2026.

Is Ayra Starr the first African to headline an NFL halftime show?
She says so: she posted on X on 7 October 2026 that she is the first African artist to headline an NFL International Games halftime show. Earlier headliners, including RAYE, Giggs, Myles Smith and Karol G, were not African.

Where can I watch Ayra Starr’s NFL halftime show in Nigeria?
The NFL posted the full set on its official YouTube channel, which is free to watch in Nigeria. As of 11:25am WAT on 13 October 2026, no Nigerian TV broadcaster had been confirmed for the game.

Did “Heaven Baby” make the right opener? Tell us in the comments.

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