The 2026 FIFA World Cup final kicked off on Sunday evening at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, with Argentina and Spain battling it out for the championship title. This year's tournament was a little different though, with FIFA staging its first halftime show in the competition's 96-year history.
Curated by Coldplay's Chris Martin, the FIFA World Cup halftime show was an 11-minute gauntlet of musicians from across the globe, including Shakira, BTS, Justin Bieber, and Burna Boy. The Muppets also played an instrumental rendition of The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" with the New York Philharmonic orchestra.
Madonna opened the show with a mashup of "Music" and "Danceteria," with Brazilian soccer greats Ronaldo and Ronaldinho appearing alongside her, while K-pop phenomenon BTS performed a truncated version of their English-language hit "Dynamite." Ted Lasso actors Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt then made cameos, respectively playing the title character and Coach Beard from the feel-good football series, and giving Justin Bieber a pep talk before he slowed things down with an acoustic performance of "Everything Hallelujah."
Shakira and Burna Boy followed with the 2026 FIFA World Cup's official anthem "Dai Dai," delivering a jarring change of mood, before before Coldplay, the Muppets, and the PS22 Chorus children's choir closed out the halftime show by debuting the band's new song "We Dance."
The full performance is available now on FIFA's official YouTube channel.
Unfortunately, despite the star-studded lineup, online reactions to the FIFA World Cup's first ever halftime show were largely underwhelmed. On the bright side, it's substantial feedback for organisers to consider when putting together the next World Cup tournament in 2030.
