Ricky Martin turned the NFL's historic first regular-season game in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, into a preview of what comes next in his own career.
The Puerto Rican superstar joined Brazilian DJ and singer Pedro Sampaio for Sunday's halftime show at the legendary Maracanã Stadium, where the Baltimore Ravens faced the Dallas Cowboys. The two performers mixed Brazilian funk, Latin pop and some of Martin's most recognizable music before introducing their new collaboration, "Pikito Pikito," to a massive international audience.
Sampaio and Martin turned halftime into a celebration of both Brazilian and Latin music. Sampaio opened with material including "Sequência Feiticeira," "Sequência Cunt," and "Jetski," before Martin delivered "Livin' La Vida Loca." The two then performed "Pikito Pikito" together and closed with "Cavalinho."
Ricky Martin was livin' la vida loca during the Rio game 🕺#NFLonDAZN #NFLRioGame pic.twitter.com/033EL1JXrV
— NFL on DAZN (@NFLonDAZN) September 27, 2026
The production included around 50 Brazilian dancers representing funk, ballroom, samba and hip-hop. Sampaio recruited Parris Goebel, the celebrated choreographer who worked on Rihanna's Super Bowl halftime show, while members of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders also joined the production.
The night also made LGBTQ history. According to Brazilian coverage, Martin and Sampaio became the first two openly gay male artists to headline an NFL halftime show together, while Sampaio became the first Brazilian male solo artist to headline one. Following Anitta's performance two years ago.
Pedro Sampaio & Ricky Martin just rocked the Rio halftime performance 🤯#NFLonDAZN #NFLRioGame pic.twitter.com/wO4MhmHRpJ
— NFL on DAZN (@NFLonDAZN) September 27, 2026
For Martin, the performance continued a relationship with the NFL that included his appearance alongside Bad Bunny during the Super Bowl LX halftime show earlier this year.
But shortly after leaving the field, Martin made an even bigger announcement: a new album is coming early next year, followed by another tour.
"Here, moments before going onstage. It's an adrenaline rush that becomes addictive," Martin wrote on social media, sharing footage of the familiar walk from backstage toward the crowd. "I've been making this same walk to different stages for many years and, far from getting old, I enjoy it more every day."
"The energy of the crowd always lifts me up," he continued. "It's difficult to explain, but anyone can imagine it and understand it. I never get tired of thanking you for everything you make me feel. It's very intense."
Then came the promise: "I want to keep taking these same steps for the rest of my life... and I know there's still a long road ahead. See you in your city on the next tour, with a new album coming early next year."
Martin offered an even more ambitious tease in another post, describing "Pikito Pikito" as only "a tenth" of what he expects from the project.
"'Pikito Pikito' is barely a tenth of what I sense will be the most important album of my career," he wrote, adding that more singles will arrive before the full record.
Aquí, instantes antes de salir al escenario. Es una adrenalina que se vuelve adicción. Llevo muchos años haciendo esta misma caminata a diferentes escenarios y, lejos de gastarse, cada día lo disfruto más. La energía del público siempre me eleva; es difícil de explicar, pero… pic.twitter.com/GHpFYPyrLT
— Ricky Martin (@ricky_martin) September 28, 2026
The announcement puts a clearer timeline on a project Martin has been quietly developing while maintaining one of the busiest periods of his career.
Just weeks ago, on Sept. 9, he released ReVivo, a six-song EP that looks backward before his next album moves him forward. Rather than simply remastering older hits, Martin reimagined songs from different eras of his catalog with artists from across Latin music.
Carín León joins him on "A Medio Vivir," Kany García on "Asignatura Pendiente," Los Ángeles Azules and TINI transform "Vuelve," Brazilian star Luan Santana appears on the Portuguese-language "Estranho," Grupo Frontera takes on "Tu Recuerdo," and Christian Nodal joins Martin for "Fuego de Noche, Nieve de Día." The new arrangements move between Latin pop, bachata, cumbia and mariachi while retaining the songs at their core.
Meanwhile, Martin hasn't exactly been sitting still.
His Ricky Martin Live tour has already taken him through Asia and Europe in 2026 before moving into the Americas. Upcoming dates include Hollywood, Florida; Atlantic City; Connecticut; Las Vegas and California, among other stops. A new stage of the tour has been projected to begin in Puerto Rico in early 2027, coinciding with the arrival of his new music.
Music isn't the only reason Martin has been back in the spotlight.
This month, he also debuted in Spanish-language cinema in Hombre al Agua, the new film written and directed by Gael García Bernal. The movie premiered at the Venice Film Festival before traveling to Toronto and opening in Mexico on Sept. 24.
Martin plays Roby, an actor who portrays the film's protagonist, Camilo, inside a movie being made by Camilo's wife. He also serves as an executive producer. The project is especially significant because it marks Martin's return to acting entirely in Spanish after more than two decades away from that side of his career.
Ricky Martin returned to the NFL
The NFL's arrival at Maracanã was already historic: after staging its first two Brazilian regular-season games in São Paulo in 2024 and 2025, the league brought a regular-season matchup to Rio for the first time. It also introduced an unexpected partnership between two artists from different generations.
Afterward, Martin singled out Sampaio in an unusually personal message. "Thank you for your energy and for everything you bring," Martin wrote. "I wish you the best, professionally and personally. This is only the beginning of something big for you."
"Your dreams will come true if you maintain what I've seen these past few days working alongside you: focus and discipline," he added. "Everything is going to work out, I promise you."
For Sampaio, performing at Maracanã carried its own emotional weight. The Rio native said he grew up seeing the stadium as a place "where history was made" and never imagined that his first performance on its field would be alongside Martin, an artist he has long considered an inspiration.
If Martin's own assessment is any indication, "Pikito Pikito" is the first real glimpse of an era he believes could become the most important of his career.
After ReVivo, a world tour, Venice, Hombre al Agua and an NFL halftime show at Maracanã, Ricky Martin is already telling fans where he's headed next: a new album, more singles and another trip around the world.
