Before PSG and Arsenal kicked off the UEFA Champions League final, American rock icons The Killers delivered a high-energy pregame performance at the Puskas Arena. The Champions League will crown its champion today in Budapest, where PSG look to defend the title they won last season, while Arsenal aim to secure their first historic crown. Prior to kickoff, The Killers took the stage to set the musical atmosphere inside the Puskas Arena.
This is not the first time The Killers have performed at a major global sporting event. The band previously took part in the Super Bowl LX Studio 60 pre-game concert earlier in 2026, and headlined the AFL Grand Final entertainment lineup back in 2017.
UEFA selected The Killers for this edition of the Champions League final due to the band’s massive global popularity and their proven ability to deliver high-energy stadium performances.
The American rock band was officially announced for the final two months ago through a cinematic promotional campaign by Pepsi, appearing in a launch video alongside soccer icon David Beckham.
The Killers’ Champions League Final setlist
During an opening show that lasted roughly 15 minutes, the rock icons energized the Budapest crowd by performing a four-song setlist composed of their biggest career anthems.
The songs performed by The Killers were:
When You Were Young (2006)Humans (2008)All These Things That I’ve Done (2004)Mr. Brightside (2004)
Chasing the all-time viewership record
Following their performance at the Puskas Arena, The Killers are in a position to challenge the record for the most-viewed UEFA Champions League opening ceremony in history.
Currently, the record is held by Camila Cabello’s 2022 performance in Paris, which UEFA confirmed surpassed 166 million viewers via traditional broadcast networks, alongside tens of millions more via digital streaming.
Behind Cabello is Dua Lipa, whose 2018 performance in Kyiv remains the most legally streamed pre-match show in tournament history, accumulation hundreds of millions of views across UEFA’s digital platforms.