Abandoned as an infant with severely underdeveloped limbs and raised by nuns in Baghdad, Kelly will perform at the World Cup final among the globe’s biggest stars.
One of the headline performers at the inaugural FIFA World Cup halftime show—sharing the stage with Shakira, BTS, Justin Bieber and Madonna—is Iraqi‑born singer Emmanuel Kelly, whose life story is nothing short of extraordinary.
Kelly recounts being abandoned in a box as a baby and raised by nuns at Mother Teresa’s orphanage in Baghdad. His limbs were severely underdeveloped, and there he befriended another boy, Ahmed, who faced similar challenges.
In 1998, when he was about four, Australian Catholic humanitarian Moira Kelly visited the orphanage, where she saw Emmanuel and Ahmed’s plight.
Determined to give them access to medical care, she succeeded in bringing both boys to Australia two years later.
Upon arriving in Australia in 2000, both underwent extensive surgeries that allowed them to use prosthetic limbs. Moira adopted them that same year, and they gained Australian citizenship in 2009.
In a 2025 interview on FIFA’s website, Emmanuel reflected that the surgeries and prosthetics allowed him and his brother to become self‑sufficient for the first time.
“We learned basic skills that many take for granted—like walking and feeding ourselves,” he said. “Eventually I decided to pursue a career in entertainment and music.”
At 17, Emmanuel entered the Australian edition of The X Factor in 2011. His performance of John Lennon’s “Imagine” impressed live audiences and garnered millions of online views. Although he was eliminated early after forgetting lyrics to a subsequent song, it marked the beginning of his music career.
His brother Ahmed pursued competitive swimming, representing Australia on multiple occasions and earning a silver medal in the men’s 150‑metre individual medley at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
During Coldplay’s 2016 Australian tour, lead singer Chris Martin saw a video of Kelly’s performance and arranged to meet him. Martin invited Kelly onstage at the Melbourne concert, where they performed a duet of “Imagine.”
The pair forged a friendship, and in 2024 Kelly was called upon to headline Coldplay’s opening set for their four Australian gigs on the Music of the Spheres tour.
“Chris has been my brother, Chris Martin, for about eight years,” Kelly recalled in his FIFA interview. “He asked me to join his stadium tour, and I did—it was epic.”
Last year FIFA tasked Martin with curating the halftime show for the Club World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Kelly was among the performers Martin selected, becoming what organizers called “the first differently abled artist to headline a FIFA halftime show.”
The World Cup final between Spain and Argentina will be held in the same venue, with Martin again overseeing the musical segment. Kelly is set to appear on stage for what FIFA anticipates will be the most‑watched halftime show ever.
“It’s an exciting chance to represent true global unity,” Kelly said in an Instagram video before the show. “No matter how different you are, you’ll still be seen.”