The final of the FIFA World Cup 2026 wrote a unique chapter in the history of football this Sunday: for the first time in 96 years of the tournament, the halftime break in the title match featured a Super Bowl-style halftime show, with Madonna, Shakira, BTS, and Justin Bieber as the main acts at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The show, which lasts 17 minutes in total—11 dedicated to the performances and six to the setup and teardown of the stage—was produced in collaboration with Global Citizen and FIFA under the artistic direction of Chris Martin, lead vocalist of Coldplay, with the aim of raising 100 million dollars for the Global Citizen FIFA Education Fund. All artists participated without receiving payment for their performances.
The one to open the historic show was Madonna, who performed "Music," one of her classics, on a stage set up in the middle of the court where Argentina and Spain were contesting the final.
The most applauded moment of her segment came when football legends Ronaldo Nazário and Ronaldinho joined her on stage to accompany her in the closing of her performance.
The presentation of the "Queen of Pop" came at a time of artistic renewal: just weeks before, she had released Confessions II, her fifteenth studio album, conceived as a continuation of Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005) and once again produced alongside Stuart Price, featuring collaborations from Sabrina Carpenter, Feid, Martin Garrix, Stromae, and Lola Leon.
After Madonna, the Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel starred in one of the most captivating segments of the show by sharing the stage with the characters from The Muppets in a performance that combined classical music and popular entertainment.
BTS brought K-Pop to a World Cup final for the first time in history, performing "Dynamite" with synchronized choreography and outfits in shades of red and black that ignited the stadium.
Justin Bieber appeared after an introduction featuring the character Ted Lasso, captivating the audience with an intimate performance accompanied by a guitar.
The closing of the show was led by Shakira, who performed "Dai Dai" —the official song of the 2026 World Cup— accompanied by the Ghetto Kids from Uganda, dressed in yellow, alongside Burna Boy, Coldplay, and the PS22 Chorus.
The performance by the Colombian singer carried additional historical significance: Shakira became the first artist to participate in both the opening ceremony of the tournament —on June 11 at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico— and the closing show of the same World Cup, thus adding her fourth official song for a World Cup after "Waka Waka" (2010), "La La La" (2014), and her participation in Russia 2018.
The full cast of the World Cup closing ceremony also included Robbie Williams, Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger, Post Malone, and Jennifer Hudson, who performed the anthem of the United States, along with special appearances by Tom Cruise and IShowSpeed.
The final between Argentina and Spain —the first matchup between both teams in a World Cup final— was held in front of 82,500 spectators at MetLife Stadium, with President Donald Trump present at the trophy presentation alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Related videos:
Filed under: