The 2026 World Cup Final made history with its inaugural halftime show featuring Madonna’s opening performance. However, the online response to the star-studded 11-minute-43-second spectacle was mixed.
The show kicked off with the 67-year-old pop icon arriving in a jeep driven by Brazilian football legends Ronaldinho and Ronaldo. She then shared the stage with the Muppets band, Electric Mayhem, who delivered a rendition of The White Stripes’ hit “Seven Nation Army” alongside Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel. Following that, K-pop sensations BTS electrified MetLife Stadium with their chart-topping 2020 track “Dynamite.”
The halftime show continued with a surprise appearance by Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso and Brendan Hunt as Coach Beard, introducing Justin Bieber for an acoustic rendition of his 2025 hit “Everything Hallelujah.” Shakira and Burna Boy later teamed up for a high-energy performance of their World Cup anthem “Dai Dai.”
The grand finale featured the PS22 Chorus, a choir comprising elementary school students from Staten Island, N.Y., singing “We Dance” accompanied by Dudamel and Coldplay’s Chris Martin, who curated the entire show alongside Shakira, the Muppets, Justin Bieber, and other artists.
While traditional soccer halftime breaks are limited to 15 minutes, the 2026 World Cup Final’s halftime extravaganza extended to 27 minutes and 19 seconds, prompting criticism from fans and purists for disrupting the game’s flow. Viewers expressed divided opinions on social media, with some praising the eclectic lineup while others deemed it excessive and out of place for a football event.
Despite the mixed reactions, some viewers appreciated the show’s attempt to bring people together through music, while others lauded Madonna’s performance as fitting for a grand finale. Former England player Wayne Rooney, however, bluntly labeled the halftime show as “crap” during BBC’s coverage.
