The World Cup got its Super Bowl moment, and it came with a roller rink. At halftime of Sunday’s final at MetLife Stadium, with Argentina and Spain still level at 0-0, FIFA staged its first-ever World Cup final halftime show: 11 minutes, performers from six continents and, per NPR, a “feel-good, family-friendly procession of fan favorites.” Coldplay’s Chris Martin curated it.
Madonna opened from her roller-rink set, riding in a dune buggy driven by Brazil legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho and performing “Music.” She told the crowd that “music makes the people come together!” The Muppets house band, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, led by Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel, then covered the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army,” the now-eternal stadium anthem.
BTS came on to sing “Dynamite.” Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt turned up as Ted Lasso and Coach Beard to introduce Justin Bieber, who played “Everything Hallelujah” on acoustic guitar and changed the lyric to “World Cup hallelujah,” according to Pitchfork. Shakira and Burna Boy followed with their official tournament anthem “Dai Dai,” with the viral Ghetto Kids dance troupe from Kampala, Uganda, dancing alongside her. Martin, Shakira and the Muppets closed with “We Believe,” joined by the PS22 Chorus from Staten Island, as the word “Love” was projected on the field with its “O” drawn as a globe.
Why it matters
Big halftime shows are an American habit, and the NFL-style spectacle at soccer’s final is a new product: FIFA announced it in May, with Madonna, Shakira and BTS billed as the headliners. It also had a mission. The show raised awareness for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which aims to raise $100 million to expand education and soccer access for children, according to NPR.
Read moreShakira and Burna Boy Open the 2026 World Cup at Estadio Azteca, 16 Years After “Waka Waka”
The pregame set was musical too. Jennifer Hudson sang the national anthem, and Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger and Laura Pausini performed “Desire,” from the 2026 FIFA World Cup soundtrack. Post Malone debuted a new song, allegedly called “Chrome Heartbreak,” and brought out Swae Lee for “Sunflower.” It was the same tournament that opened in Mexico City with Shakira and Burna Boy and IShowSpeed’s viral “World Cup (Champions)”, which made the official album.
Not everyone was sold. Robert Smith of The Cure criticized the show in an Instagram post before kickoff and added the hashtag #Breadandcircuses, pushing back on FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s description of it as a “groundbreaking spectacle.” Spain went on to beat defending champion Argentina in the final.
Added to the High Grailed archive on October 12, 2026.
