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Heavy mental music fans across the UK can rejoice after the news of Metallica’s double-header of gigs scheduled in the capital for next year. The legendary band, led by James Hetfield, will perform at the London Stadium in Stratford, home to West Ham United Football Club.
Metallica made a welcome appearance at Black Sabbath’s ‘Back To The Beginning’ show at Villa Park in Birmingham, wowing the crowds with their rousing support act for the late Ozzy Osbourne and co.
Almost 12 months on from this, Metallica are now booked to perform on British soil as part of their M72 World Tour. Two shows at the London Stadium have been booked for Friday, 3rd July and Sunday, 5th July. Tickets are already on sale, with two-day tickets up for grabs, as well as single-day tickets.
Metallica’s M72 World Tour will also see them perform next year at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium and Glasgow’s Hampden Park National Stadium. These shows are scheduled for Sunday, 28th June and Thursday, 25th June respectively.
Metallica are still at the forefront of popularity
It’s almost two decades since Metallica were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but the band continues to take its loyal fans on exhilarating rides with its live shows. Despite being formed way back in 1981, Metallica has managed to establish itself with a multi-generational fan base, which explains why they are one of the leading contenders to headline the NFL’s Super Bowl Halftime Show in February 2026.
American football – and the NFL Super Bowl in particular – are entrenched in popular culture too. Tens of millions of Americans tune in weekly to watch the NFL regular season and postseason and many more watch the Super Bowl. The possible appearance of Metallica at the Levi’s Stadium in California would help the NFL cement its cultural relevance outside of the US too, thanks to the band’s army of European and Latin American fans.
Further proof of the sport’s increasing exposure beyond the US can be seen in the iGaming industry, where slot game developers are cashing in on the trend with a host of gridiron-themed titles. Red Zone Blitz happens to be one of the featured slot games at Paddy’s, which is one of the UK’s best-known online gaming brands. Its featured slots cover many new slot titles, as well as their most-played and most talked about offerings.
All you need to know about Metallica’s M72 World Tour
The band’s M72 World Tour has been celebrating the release of their 11th studio album, 72 Seasons, that was released in April 2023. The record flew in to second place on the Billboard 200 and topped the charts in 19 nations worldwide.
Since 27th April, 2023, the band has been touring the world with its new album, while interspersing many of their legendary songs like Enter Sandman. To date, they’ve performed in more than 30 cities across North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania. The latest dates for 2026 illustrate that Hetfield and co. are not finished in Europe just yet.
In fact, next year will see Metallica play 16 shows across 12 European cities, including Frankfurt, Dublin and Budapest. Support acts for their shows in London and Glasgow are expected to be Pantera, Avatar, Knocked Loose and Gojira.