Sunday’s World Cup Final between Argentina and Spain threw out the rulebook, stretching its halftime break to an unprecedented 27 minutes for the first-ever World Cup halftime show. That’s nearly double the typical 15 minutes FIFA rules usually allow, and let me tell you, it was a wild ride of pop culture overload.
The Pop Star Power Hour (Almost)
What even *was* that lineup, seriously? FIFA decided to cram a slew of performances into this thing. It kicked off with a pre-recorded segment from Madonna, then she emerged from the tunnel joined by Brazil legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Like, okay, that’s a start. Then it took a hard left into Muppet territory with an orchestral rendition of “Seven Nation Army” complete with a quick reference to the Norwegian Viking row. From there, BTS hit the stage to perform “Dynamite” and the crowd probably lost it. As if that wasn’t enough, “Ted Lasso” actors Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt, in character, hyped up Justin Bieber, who then gave an oddly solemn performance of “Everything Hallelujah” with lyrics tweaked for the World Cup. Shakira and Burna Boy came out next for their 2026 World Cup anthem, “Dai Dai,” before a group of colorfully-clad children sang about love with Coldplay to close out the show on a very saccharine note. It was jam-packed, sure, and some of those performances were visibly lip-synced.
Super Bowl Envy, Or Something Else?
This wasn’t just a random concert, though. FIFA tried to weave in callbacks and montages to cultural pieces of the tournament, but the whole thing is stirring up some serious debate. Folks are already saying FIFA’s trying to make the World Cup more like American football, what with those controversial hydration breaks earlier. Now this lengthy halftime show? It’s getting similar criticism, totally trying to emulate a Super Bowl rather than doing its own thing. Seriously, 27 minutes? That’s an unprecedented break in the game. You gotta wonder how that long pause will affect the players, potentially making it harder for them to stay warm before the second half kicks off. It’s truly unclear how a break like that impacts the game itself.
Whether this epic, pop-culture-packed break becomes the new norm or just a one-off experiment, one thing is clear: FIFA is not afraid to blow up tradition. After Sunday’s final, everyone’s looking at what’s next for the biggest tournament in the world.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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