Latin music took over the NFL in Brazil this weekend.

Puerto Rican superstar Ricky Martin joined Brazilian DJ and singer Pedro Sampaio for the halftime show during the NFL’s first-ever regular-season game in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, September 27.

The performance took place inside the legendary Maracanã Stadium, where the Baltimore Ravens faced the Dallas Cowboys.

But the biggest surprise came when Martin and Sampaio performed their new collaboration, “Pikito, Pikito,” live for the first time.

Puerto Rico Meets Brazil

The collaboration brings together two very different generations and sounds of Latin music.

Ricky Martin has been one of Latin music’s biggest international stars for more than three decades, helping push Latin pop into the global mainstream.

Pedro Sampaio, meanwhile, has become one of Brazil’s biggest current music stars, combining Brazilian funk with pop and electronic music. The NFL says Sampaio has accumulated more than 14 billion audio and video streams and has been Brazil’s most-streamed male pop artist over the past five years.

Their six-minute halftime performance mixed Brazilian funk and Latin pop, with Sampaio performing hits including “Sequência Feiticeira” and “Jetski” before Martin brought out one of his biggest classics, “Livin’ la Vida Loca.”

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders also joined the performance, while choreography was created by Parris Goebel, who has worked with artists including Rihanna, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga.

The NFL Keeps Betting on Latin Music

The performance is also part of a much bigger trend.

The NFL has been aggressively expanding internationally, and Latin music has increasingly become part of that strategy.

Anitta performed during the NFL’s first Brazil game in São Paulo in 2024, followed by Karol G in 2025. Now Ricky Martin and Pedro Sampaio have brought the spotlight to Rio.

The NFL is staging a record seven international-game halftime shows across seven countries and four continents in 2026, as the league continues trying to build its audience outside the United States.

For Pedro Sampaio, however, this one was particularly special.

The Rio native grew up seeing the Maracanã as the place where history was made. Now his first performance on its field came alongside one of Latin music’s biggest international icons — while introducing their new song to a global audience.

Puerto Rico. Brazil. Latin music. And the NFL. 🇵🇷🇧🇷🏈🔥