The international football world saw a major change in tradition on Sunday as FIFA introduced a massive, American-style concert during the halftime break of the World Cup final. The star-studded performance at the New York New Jersey Stadium featured some of the biggest musicians on the planet, making it a very different kind of final match day.
Pop legend Madonna kicked off the high-energy show by performing her famous hit song “Music”. She made a grand entrance onto the pitch inside a dune buggy driven by football legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.
The spotlight then turned to Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who led a large orchestra alongside the famous Muppets band. Right after, the popular K-pop group BTS took the stage in bold black-and-red outfits to perform their global hit, “Dynamite.”
The second half of the show featured pop star Justin Bieber, who sang a special acoustic version of “Hallelujah” with lyrics changed to honour the World Cup. To finish the massive concert, Colombian singer Shakira and Nigerian star Burna Boy teamed up to perform “Dai Dai", which is the official anthem for the 2026 World Cup. The performance ended with huge visual designs displaying the word “LOVE” right across the grass field.
While millions enjoyed the music, the special show also faced a lot of criticism before the game even started. Traditional football rules state that players are allowed a halftime rest period that does not go over 15 minutes. However, the official tournament rules allow the organisers to extend the break.
Even though the actual musical performances lasted just over 11 minutes, the entire break stretched out to around 27 minutes. This extra time was needed for workers to quickly roll the heavy stage equipment onto the field and pack it away safely before the second half could begin. Experts say this shift shows that football bosses are trying to turn the World Cup final into a massive entertainment event to attract more viewers worldwide.
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