Grammy-award winning and multi-platinum-selling afrobeats artist Burna Boy has been confirmed as a co-headliner of the highly anticipated 2023 Champions League Final Kick Off Show by Pepsi set for June 10.

UEFA said in a statement that Burna Boy would bring his energy and signature soulful vibes of afrobeats to millions of fans before the biggest club fixture in football gets underway.

“The global chart-topping Last Last and It’s Plenty megastar will bring his signature soulful vibes of afrobeats to Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium as millions of fans from across the globe tune in to watch the must-see performance only moments before the biggest game in club football gets underway,” the release said.

According to the release, for the first time ever, fans will have the opportunity to be part of the biggest annual global sporting event for themselves.

Burna Boy, fresh from a record-breaking year and the release of his sixth studio album, Love, Damini, will take to the Pepsi stage alongside another soon-to-be-announced global sensation.

Revealed on Tik Tok, Burna Boy has teamed up with Pepsi ambassadors and football royalty, world champion Leo Messi; reigning UCL champion Vini Jr and Euro-winning Lionesses star Leah Williamson; to encourage fans to showcase their best dance moves or ball skills by posting them to TikTok using the hashtag #PepsiKickOffShow.

The best submissions will be hand-picked to show off their skills as part of the 2023 UEFA Champions League Final Kick-Off Show by Pepsi performance.

“As a huge football fan myself, I know it doesn’t get any bigger than the UEFA Champions League! That’s why I’m so excited to be performing on the Pepsi stage at this year’s final. Music and football are the ultimate combination, so you already know I’ll be bringing the vibes and making magic in Istanbul. The world ain’t ready for what we have in store,” Burna Boy said.

Gustavo Reyna, Pepsi’s senior director of global marketing, said: “The UEFA Champions League Final is the stand-out date of the club football calendar, and Pepsi prides itself on marking the occasion with the very best entertainment spectacles. The newly named ‘Kick Of Show by Pepsi’ is going to be huge this year; we’re so excited to welcome Burna Boy, one of the world’s most exciting artistes, to the Pepsi x UEFA Champions League stage and we can’t wait to see which fans are selected to feature as part of this truly unmissable performance. Stay tuned to find out who is co-headlining alongside Burna Boy in the weeks to come!”

Additionally, UEFA’s Marketing Director Guy-Laurant Epstein said: “The UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show is a significant part of our joint efforts with Pepsi, providing an incredible opportunity to reach new and younger audiences with some of the biggest names and rising stars in music. We’re excited to showcase a line-up of talented artists at this season’s Final in Istanbul in what is sure to be an energetic and memorable performance.” 

Now in its seventh year, the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show by Pepsi, formerly known as the UEFA Champions League Opening Ceremony, will air in over 200 countries and territories globally, just minutes before the stand-out fixture of the club football season commences.

“By uniting the worlds of football and music through one unmissable entertainment moment that stops fans in their tracks and leaves them wanting more, the event is the perfect demonstration of Pepsi’s ‘Thirsty For More’ platform.”

The Kick-Off Show is just one of the many exciting moments that Pepsi and UEFA will bring football fans this season, including the announcement of another global superstar co-headliner to join the Kick Off Show, Tik Tok videos, fashion collaborations, product innovations and more!