Westlife to Headline Katie Taylor's Farewell Fight at Croke Park

Westlife will headline what promises to be one of the most emotional nights in Irish sporting history, after being confirmed as the main musical act for Katie Taylor’s farewell fight at Croke Park on Saturday.

The Irish supergroup will perform as part of the pre-fight and in-arena entertainment surrounding Taylor’s final professional bout, setting the stage for a last ring walk that is likely to live long in the memory of the Bray fighter and a packed Dublin crowd.

Taylor will face undefeated French opponent Flora Pili in front of more than 80,000 fans, aiming to close out her career as a three-time undisputed world champion. It is a send-off worthy of a national icon, and the soundtrack will be provided by a band who know the stadium – and the scale of the occasion – as well as anyone.

Westlife said they were “so honoured” to be asked by Taylor to be part of the night, underlining the mutual respect between two of Ireland’s most successful exports.

“She has inspired the whole country and we couldn’t be prouder to perform for her at Croke Park, a stadium that also means so much to us,” the band said.

That is no exaggeration. Westlife are woven into the modern history of Croke Park, having previously played six sold-out shows at the venue, turning the home of Gaelic games into a vast open-air chorus on multiple occasions.

Their numbers are as eye-catching as any set of boxing statistics. More than 55 million records sold worldwide. Sixteen Irish No.1 singles. Fourteen UK chart-toppers. Songs like Flying Without Wings, Queen of My Heart and You Raise Me Up have long since moved from pop hits to Irish anthems – the kind of tracks that can lift a crowd just when the emotion threatens to spill over.

Saturday’s appearance also drops on the eve of another milestone for the group. Just days later, they will begin a record-breaking 13-night residency at Dublin’s 3Arena from 10 September, part of their 25th anniversary celebrations and another sign of their enduring pull.

Additional acts for Taylor’s farewell show are expected to be confirmed later this week, adding more layers to what is shaping up as a hybrid of world-title fight, national celebration and closing chapter.

For those not inside Croke Park, Katie Taylor v Flora Pili will be shown live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, with live radio commentary on RTÉ 2FM, while DAZN will carry the event to a global audience.

On Saturday night, under the lights and the songs that have filled this stadium before, Katie Taylor will walk to the ring one last time. Westlife will provide the soundtrack. The rest is up to her gloves.