A soccer tradition decades in the making shifted permanently on the sport’s biggest stage this year. For the first time ever, a World Cup Final included a full halftime show, and the moment quickly overshadowed even the historic stakes of the match itself.
Organizers tapped Coldplay frontman Chris Martin to curate the production, assembling a roster of performers spanning music, film, and even classical conducting. The result became one of the most discussed elements of the entire tournament.
Context matters here. Argentina walked into the match chasing a milestone no country had reached since 1962, when Brazil last won consecutive World Cup titles.
Beyond that storyline, this year’s tournament already carried distinction as one of the most expensive in the sport’s history and the most heavily attended World Cup ever held.
None of that stopped fans from fixating on what unfolded between the two halves.
Sixteen minutes of stoppage aside, spectators watched Madonna, BTS, The Muppets, Justin Bieber, Shakira, Burna Boy, and actor Jason Sudeikis take turns commanding the field.
Madonna kicked things off unconventionally, beginning her set from the players’ tunnel rather than the field itself. She emerged to loud applause as she made her way toward center stage.
From there, orchestral conductor Gustavo Dudamel stepped in for an unusual assignment: leading The Muppets through a rendition of “Seven Nation Army.”
BTS entered the mix soon after, layering in their global hit “Dynamite” alongside the puppet ensemble.
A tonal shift followed when Sudeikis, appearing in his well-known role as Ted Lasso, introduced a “substitution.”
Justin Bieber took the field to perform “Everything Hallelujah,” a ballad he modified on the spot to include references to the World Cup itself.
Energy returned with Shakira’s appearance. She and collaborator Burna Boy performed “Dai Dai,” the tournament’s official anthem, backed by a full ensemble of dancers who kept the pace lively heading into the show’s final moments.
Children took over the field for the closing segment, singing a number centered on “love” as Martin and several other performers joined them. The segment offered a quieter contrast to the high-energy sets that preceded it.
Public reaction split largely along two lines. One camp praised the show’s clarity and momentum, frequently comparing it to the Super Bowl’s most recent halftime performance headlined by Bad Bunny.
Multiple observers said this show was easier to follow and carried more energy by comparison.
A separate group focused on runtime. Roughly 27 minutes elapsed between the first half’s conclusion and the second half’s kickoff, a gap that drew criticism from viewers anxious for play to resume.
Wayne Rooney, the former England international calling the match for BBC, offered the bluntest reaction of the broadcast. Rooney told viewers flatly that he thought the show was “crap.”
Not everyone agreed with him. Several fans and commentators pushed back, arguing that despite its length, the show moved briskly from act to act and never felt sluggish on screen.
Once play resumed, the match itself struggled to match the halftime show’s energy. Argentina and Spain each played cautiously to start the second half, with neither side generating many clean scoring chances early on.
Skepticism had surrounded the idea of a World Cup halftime show long before kickoff, given the tournament’s history of skipping intermission entertainment entirely.
That skepticism appeared to fade quickly once the performance wrapped, based on the wave of praise it received afterward.
Looking ahead, the show’s reception suggests World Cup organizers may treat this year’s format as a new standard rather than a one-time experiment.
Future tournaments could now follow suit, pairing championship-level soccer with championship-level production value.
For a tournament already defined by record attendance, record spending, and a bid for back-to-back Argentine glory, the addition of a full-scale halftime show gave 2026 one more first to its name.
Whether remembered more for the football or the entertainment, this year’s final cemented its place as a turning point for how the World Cup presents itself to a global audience.
