Cage The Elephant has been given the honor of playing at halftime of the NFL's single Munich, Germany game in 2026. The game will happen on November 15 and will feature the New England Patriots versus the Detroit Lions, and kickoff is set for 3:30 pm CET (or 9:30 am ET).
This isn't about Cage being a bad band because they are excellent. Them performing at halftime of the Super Bowl would be interesting if they aren't quite popular enough for the NFL to choose them. But the band shouldn't be playing at halftime in Munich.
The issue is the same as the one for the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers game in Week 1 that takes place in Melbourne, Australia. The NFL eschewed a good Aussie band, of which there are plenty, for the Jonas Brothers, a group with diminishing popularity. The league went the cheap way instead of the high-quality track with the Jonas Brothers.
Cage The Elephant feels a bit out of place for the NFL's 2026 Munich game
Cage The Elephant is high-end talent, but they aren't German. The NFL is trying to grow its league internationally, but the decision-makers appear bent on taking the most American way of doing that.
European fans, especially, aren't going to suddenly change allegiances from fútbol to football, and they definitely won't if going to a game means seeing halftime entertainment that isn't from their own nation. If the NFL wants buy-in from fans in Germany, then the league would have been wise to give Germans a band they can call their own because the game they are watching definitely isn't.
Lots of good German bands and musical artists are worthy of playing at the half. The most obvious one is the Scorpions. The legendary metal group isn't touring in 2026, as the shows were canceled or postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. This implies that the Hanover-based band likely could have been available for the game in Munich.
American fans (who, let's be real, are really the ones the NFL cares about because American bands are playing international games) would know who the Scorpions are, and the show would be epic. Maybe the group wouldn't want to do the game, but based on the Jonas Brothers performing in Australia, it is unlikely the NFL even asked the Scorpions.
Another excellent rock band would have been Accept. The band recently had a tribute album come out, and members of the band played on many of the songs. Others involved were members of Judas Priest, Metallica, and Ghost. Accept has a large following and would have been a worthy ask.
Again, Cage The Elephant will probably be fantastic at halftime on November 15, but they simply aren't the best fit. The NFL should have gone with a German rock band instead.
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