The 2026 World Cup final half-time show in New York featured a rapid-fire sequence of performances by Madonna, Coldplay, Shakira, the Muppets, and others, but the spectacle has divided opinion among football fans. The show, which lasted 11 minutes, broke the traditional 15-minute half-time mandate set by the International Football Association, drawing criticism as an unwanted American-style innovation reminiscent of the NFL's Super Bowl halftime entertainment.
Pre-Show and Closing Ceremony
Before the half-time show, the pre-match closing ceremony was largely ignored by broadcasters. The BBC and ITV opted not to air it live. On iPlayer, viewers saw Post Malone debut his song 'Chrome Heartbreaker' and duet with Swae Lee on 'Sunflower'. Additionally, influencer and wrestler IShowSpeed performed 'Champions', a track included on the official Fifa World Cup album. The song's lyrics, such as 'I take a breath and wait for the ref / This is the World Cup, put your hands in the air,' met with silence from the stadium crowd, though fireworks later elicited cheers.
Half-Time Show Highlights
The half-time show itself was a tightly packed 11-minute performance. Madonna sang a reworked version of her 2000 hit 'Music' from a Mad Max-style vehicle piloted by former Brazil footballers Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. The White Stripes' 'Seven Nation Army' was performed by three members of the Muppets' house band, the Electric Mayhem, without their leader Dr Teeth. BTS performed 'Dynamite', while Shakira and Burna Boy played a truncated version of 'Dai Dai'. Coldplay performed 'Believe in Love' with a children's choir, which was less sugary than expected due to vuvuzela players. Justin Bieber closed with a downcast acoustic ballad, 'Everything Hallelujah', which some felt was out of place.
Reactions and Criticism
Former England striker Wayne Rooney called the show 'crap' when asked by BBC presenter Gabby Logan. The event also faced criticism for its American influence, with detractors arguing it imposed U.S. culture on the World Cup. Despite this, the show's fast pace and variety of acts convinced some that it justified its existence for this final, though not necessarily as a regular feature.
