Key Points
A short film featuring The Killers and Sir David Beckham has been released to mark the announcement
The Killers will headline the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show presented by Pepsi on May 30, 2026
The performance takes place at Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary, ahead of European football’s premier club match
The band has sold over 35 million albums globally and is currently working on an eighth studio album
Main Story
PepsiCo has confirmed that American rock band The Killers will headline this year’s UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show, the annual pre-match entertainment event that has become one of football’s most-watched cultural spectacles. The performance is scheduled for May 30, 2026, at Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary.
The show, branded as the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show presented by Pepsi, will be broadcast globally ahead of kick-off in what is widely regarded as the most prestigious fixture in European club football. The Killers, whose catalogue includes Mr. Brightside, When You Were Young and Human, have sold more than 35 million albums since their emergence in 2004 and are currently in production on their eighth studio album.
The brand play
For Pepsi, the Champions League Kick Off Show is a flagship activation in its long-running sponsorship of the competition — a platform the company uses to demonstrate the convergence of football fandom and music culture at a global scale. The brand’s involvement positions the pre-match experience not as a footnote to the main event but as a headline moment in its own right.
To amplify the announcement, Pepsi and UC3 released a short film titled The Race Begins, featuring The Killers’ frontman Brandon Flowers and football legend Sir David Beckham in a fictional race to Budapest — Flowers in a custom electric blue classic car, Beckham on a motorcycle. The film frames the Kick Off Show as the natural starting gun for the Champions League final weekend, fusing two of global culture’s dominant formats — elite sport and stadium rock.
The Killers’ selection is notable for its cultural resonance within football fandom. Mr. Brightside in particular has become a fixture of stadium atmospheres across the United Kingdom and beyond, lending the booking an authenticity that purpose-made brand partnerships often struggle to achieve.
What’s being said
“When we were asked to perform at the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show presented by Pepsi, we said yes without hesitation — some stages speak for themselves,” The Killers said in a statement. “We’re honoured to celebrate the incredible teams and players at what will undoubtedly be an epic match.”
“Pepsi has a proud history of bringing big cultural moments in sports and music to fans around the world, and this year is no different,” said Eugene Willemsen, CEO of International Beverages at PepsiCo. “We are delighted to partner with a band that embodies the spirit of Pepsi, creating the kind of moments that define how the game is experienced.”
“The UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show presented by Pepsi has grown into a true landmark moment in global entertainment,” said Guy-Laurent Epstein, Co-Managing Director of UC3. “The Killers are an iconic band whose energy will set the perfect tone in Budapest.”
What’s next
The Kick Off Show will air globally on May 30, 2026, in the minutes before the Champions League final commences at Puskás Aréna. The Killers’ eighth studio album, details of which remain unannounced, is expected to generate additional promotional momentum around the Budapest performance.
Bottom line
Pepsi’s selection of The Killers for the 2026 Champions League Kick Off Show is a strategically sound pairing — a band with genuine football-culture credibility performing on the world’s most-watched club football stage. For the brand, it is a reminder that sports sponsorship at the highest level is now inseparable from music, entertainment and cultural storytelling.
