5 Country Artists Who Could Realistically Headline A Super Bowl Halftime Show, & Do It BIG

I guess we’re going to be watching Bad Bunny during halftime this year?

Well, I might be going to refill my drink and get some more snacks, but Bad Bunny will be performing nonetheless…

Last night, the NFL announced that Bad Bunny, a globally popular rapper, singer, and songwriter, would do the honors as the featured artist for the coveted Super Bowl halftime performance spot.

If you’re unfamiliar with Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, he’s had hits like “Dákiti” with Jhay Cortez, or “Titi Me Preguntó,” but if you’re reading this as someone who loves country, you might not know any of his music at all, and to be honest, I don’t really know any of it. I’ve heard his name before and I know what he looks like, but that’s about it.

I have no idea what kind of performer he is, and maybe it will be great and I’ll discover some new music to add to my playlist:

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But of course, I was hoping that we might finally get some sort of country artist as the headliner, because it has been a long time coming, and if there was ever a time that it would make sense, it would be now.

The Super Bowl halftime show is booked through the NFL, Roc Nation (led by Jay-Z), and the Super Bowl’s host city, so in many ways, that makes sense as to why it’s been such a long time since a country artist has been selected. I highly doubt Jay-Z is up-to-date on what’s going on in country, or even all that interested in having a country artist to perform to begin with. Despite that his wife just won a Grammy for her “country music” though…

But country artists are dominating the charts, doing incredibly well in mainstream music, and it’s probably more relevant than it has ever been… even including huge decades like the ’90s, which was another era of country dominating in the mainstream culture.

But thanks to artists like Morgan Wallen and Zach Bryan, country has become one of the most popular genres in all of music, though it’s been quite a long time since we’ve had a country act perform at the Super Bowl. Shania Twain was the last country artist to headline the show in 2003… so it’s been over 20 years.

Many country artists have been tapped for the National Anthem as of late like Chris Stapleton, Eric Church, and Reba come to mind right away, but that’s simply not the same and can honestly hurt more than it helps… I mean, that’s a massive audience and a hard enough song to sing as it is. Obviously, Stapleton’s was legendary, but generally the anthem is more of a risk than it’s worth, especially on that type of scale.

I know it’s a long shot to think the NFL would actually pick a singular country artist to headline halftime, and from a business perspective, I can understand that to a certain extent. They want someone who is internationally known and has a proven record on the mainstream charts, because they want to know people are going to tune in and have assurance it will be a success.

The only problem with their logic, is that they’re severely misunderstanding how popular country is in the mainstream world, and how well-received a country artist performing at a Super Bowl halftime show, one of the world’s biggest stages, would be, especially among American fans, which is the primary audience here, even though I know it’s watched internationally.

Over the last decade-plus, the Super Bowl has had tons of pop, rap and hip hop stars headline, and I’ve enjoyed a lot of them… Rihanna’s has definitely been my favorite that’s been more recent, but it’s clear that they’ve had no interest in country, and for a long time, they were probably right about that… we all know what kind of music was coming out in 2015 in terms of country radio:

Most recent Super Bowl halftime headliners:

2026: Bad Bunny
2025: Kendrick Lamar
2024: Usher
2023: Rihanna
2022: Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. & Kendrick
2021: The Weeknd
2020: Shakira & JLo
2019: Maroon 5
2018: Justin Timberlake
2017: Lady Gaga
2016: Coldplay
2015: Katy…

— chart data (@chartdata) September 29, 2025

But their resistance to have a country artist perform when the genre’s popularity is at an all-time high is simply wrong, and I think there are a handful of country stars that would be a perfect choice to do the coveted Super Bowl halftime show.

Let’s get into it…

Morgan Wallen

This is the extremely obvious choice, and while I doubt the NFL would ever really hire Morgan Wallen due to past controversies, I think it would be a smart move and a huge success among viewers. Morgan is one of the biggest names in all of music, a huge international star, and has the name to draw a huge audience from all sorts of demographics… rappers, pro athletes, pop and hip hop fans.

If the NFL was smart and really wanted to create some excitement around a halftime performance on a scale we really haven’t seen in a long time, they would seriously consider Morgan for a halftime show in the future.

Luke Combs

While not quite as commercially successful in the mainstream as Wallen, Luke Combs is a mainstream superstar who sells out NFL stadiums on a regular basis, performs around the world, and has crossover power with collabs including artists liken Leon Bridges, BigXthaPlug, Post Malone, Ed Sheeran and more.

He has the songs to fill a stadium and make for a rowdy good time, and considering he doesn’t have the checkered past of someone like Wallen, I think he’d be a perfect fit and draw a ton of viewership. Combs has so many football-ready bangers that have been used for tons of college football themes, and I think he’s a natural fit and another very obvious choice that deserves the halftime headlining gig.

Lainey Wilson

Lainey Wilson is a household name these days, and while I’m not sure she’s at the level to where she could headline on her own, she has the stage presence and flair that would provide the entertainment factor you need now to headline at halftime. The NFL is never going to put someone without a little flash onstage anymore it seems like, and I think Lainey definitely has the personality to be a good option for something like this.

George Strait

This would probably be a long shot, but as far as country legends go who could still do it and do it WELL, George Strait would be at the top of my list. Icons like Dolly Parton also come to mind, but she’s admitted before she’s turned it down, though I would be all for Dolly doing halftime too. She broke the internet with her Thanksgiving halftime performance a couple years ago…

Strait has the name recognition, the hits, and the ability to sell out stadiums well into his 70’s, and while it wouldn’t be a high-octane performance like we’ve been accustomed to over the last 20 years or so with Super Bowl halftime shows, it would be legendary nonetheless.

Post Malone

Post Malone isn’t decidedly country, but as we all know, he’s been in the genre for a couple years now and has had a ton of success with it, notably releasing his debut country record F-1 Trillion last year which included tons of stars like the three other people on this list in Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen.

Outside of country, Post has a huge career in rap, pop and hip hop, and he’s a global superstar that honestly seems like the perfect person for this kind of gig. I think he’s pretty universally beloved (even my mom likes some of his music), and he’s an incredible performer that I think would really bring it for a show of this magnitude. Plus, seeing as almost everyone brings out other artists for features during the Super Bowl show these days, he would have a ton of people to pick from in country and well beyond that with other collabs he’s done over the years.

Out of everyone on this list, I actually think Posty makes the most sense in terms of what the NFL wants out of their Super Bowl show because of his range and variety, and I would absolutely love to see him get a chance to do it one day.

This group, or any combination of them, would be stellar options, and I actually think a combination of Post, Combs and Wallen could be epic. The trend has become having surprise guests over the years, and these three already have songs together and are truly at the forefront of mainstream country. I could also see some combo of Post Malone, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson and even Cody Johnson covering many of the “country music bases” so to speak.

I would LOVE to sit here and list off people like Tyler Childers and Sierra Ferrell as viable options for this sort of thing, but that’s just not realistic, unfortunately. I would also love to just get an acoustic performance from someone like Miranda Lambert, but that’s just never gong to happen… the NFL wants pageantry and showmanship, and for something like this, that does make sense, whether I like it or not.

If the NFL could one day select a country artist like those I’ve listed above I really think it would be a big success and something most Americans would look forward to… I mean, what is a better pairing than football and country music? It’s a perfect match, and it’s high time we get to see it onstage at the Super Bowl again.

Here’s the 1994 halftime show which featured Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, and The Judds:

And Shania’s 2003 performance:

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