Halftime shows are a staple of American sports. The Super Bowl halftime show has become something of a cultural cornerstone in recent years, featuring some of the biggest musicians. But outside the US, aside from a few cricket leagues, the concept of halftime shows is absent. Football, with its pacy style, has not adopted the trend. Up until now, that is. Trust the first FIFA World Cup hosted in the US in the 21st century to change that. FIFA had announced a grand halftime show at the final of the global event last year, and on Sunday, it came to pass. But with rather mixed results.
The World Cup final on the pitch
The FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Halftime show transformed MetLife Stadium into a celebratory atmosphere, curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin and featuring performances by Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber, BTS, and more.
The show opened with a cinematic entrance as Brazilian World Cup-winning legends Ronaldinho and Ronaldo arrived riding in a classic car, setting the tone for a celebration that bridged football’s rich history with contemporary entertainment. Behind them, Madonna commanded the stage with a striking opening performance, creating a dramatic kickoff to the halftime festivities.
Global K-pop superstars BTS kept the momentum going with an electrifying performance of their worldwide hit Dynamite. Jason Sudeikis’ Ted Lasso appeared, introducing Justin Bieber, who then delivered an emotional performance of Everything Hallelujah. The atmosphere quickly returned to full throttle as Shakira ignited the stadium with a high-energy rendition of Dai Dai, the official song of the FIFA World Cup 2026. It was truly a star-studded affair, and a lengthy one too. The performances took around 27 minutes to wrap up, much longer than the 20-minute halftime breaks football games usually see.
Over the hours, many critical posts began to appear on social media. “As much as I love BTS, I tuned in to see the World Cup final. The halftime show should not be a whole a** concert,” read one. Another added, “Trust America to make everything about bright song and dance, even the biggest sporting event.”
On the field, the 2026 FIFA World Cup final was an eventful affair, even if agonisingly one-sided. Argentina, led by a resurgent Lionel Messi, took the field in a bid to defend their world title against a clinical Spain team, which let in only one goal throughout the tournament. But Messi magic did not work as the Argentine failed to fire a shot at the goal during the game. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez’s 12 saves kept the South American side in the hunt till the dying stages of the game. But Spain’s relentless pressure prevailed in the form of a goal by Ferran Torres with just minutes left in extra time. Spain won in the end, winning their second world title and first in 16 years.
Player Focus
While fans of the artistes cheered both in the stadium and at home, flooding social media with tweets, threads, and Instagram stories, football fans were less than thrilled. As the BBC’s broadcast of the game resumed after the halftime show, host Gabby Logan asked the panellists what they thought of the performance. England legend Wayne Rooney did not mince his words: “I like a lot of them artists but I thought it was c**p. It just didn’t get me going and I wanted the football to come back on. I like Burna Boy, I like Bieber, I like Shakira, but that was too flat,” he said, adding that for him, the highlight of the show was ‘when it was over’. Roy Keane, who was commentating on ITV, echoed Rooney’s thoughts and added, “It was a bit of an anti-climax, but I think the people in the stadium probably enjoyed it more than us. But it’s always nice to see Shakira.”
