FIFA threw a Super Bowl party in the middle of a World Cup final, and the internet still hasn’t decided whether to dance or file a restraining order.
The first halftime show in World Cup final history unfolded Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where Argentina and Spain stood around for 27 minutes while the pitch turned into a variety hour. Madonna opened. The Muppets played Seven Nation Army. BTS did Dynamite. Jason Sudeikis, in character as Ted Lasso, introduced Justin Bieber like a late-game substitution — “Go out there, don’t be nervous, nobody’s watching” — and Bieber sang an acoustic ballad with the final lyric changed to “World Cup Hallelujah.” Shakira and Burna Boy performed the tournament anthem “Dai Dai.” Coldplay closed it with a children’s choir while the word “LOVE” stretched across the field, the Earth substituting for the O.
The musical performances themselves ran about 11 minutes. The rest of the 27-minute gap was stage construction and teardown — nearly double the 15-minute halftime interval the IFAB Laws of the Game prescribe. Spain ultimately won the final 1-0 on a Ferrán Torres goal in the 106th minute of extra time, a result that meant the extended break preceded another 30 minutes of football nobody had planned for.
Chris Martin of Coldplay curated the show, officially branded the “Topps Final Halftime Show.” Madonna emerged from the stadium tunnel in a pink corset aboard a dune buggy driven by Brazilian World Cup winners Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel led an orchestra of New York and Venezuelan musicians alongside the Muppets’ Electric Mayhem — Animal on drums, naturally — through the White Stripes anthem that has become a global football chant. BTS performed in black-and-red. Bieber’s “Everything Hallelujah,” a 2025 release, got the acoustic treatment.
