The 2026 FIFA World Cup final made history Sunday with its first-ever halftime show, featuring a lineup of global music superstars performing at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Madonna opened the Super Bowl-inspired spectacle with her hit song “Music,” beginning her performance from within the stadium’s tunnels before making a dramatic entrance onto the field aboard a dune buggy driven by Brazilian soccer legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.
K-pop sensation BTS took the stage next, dressed in black-and-red outfits and performing their energetic hit “Dynamite.” American actors Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt then appeared in their roles as coaches from the popular TV series “Ted Lasso” to introduce Justin Bieber, who brought a quieter moment to the show with an acoustic rendition of “Everything Hallelujah” — tweaking the song’s closing lyrics to say “World Cup Hallelujah.”
Colombian superstar Shakira and Nigerian artist Burna Boy then joined the stage together to perform “Dai Dai,” the official anthem of the 2026 World Cup.
The halftime show had already drawn criticism before the match even began, with some questioning whether it would conflict with the sport’s official rulebook. Under the International Laws of the Game, players are entitled to a halftime break of no more than 15 minutes. While tournament regulations do reference a 15-minute interval, they stop short of prohibiting a longer break.
The musical performances themselves ran about 11 minutes, but when factoring in the time needed to set up and clear equipment from the field, the total halftime break stretched to roughly 27 minutes.
