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Madonna, BTS and Muppets headline first World Cup halftime show
Developed over time first seen 4 months ago
The 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina was preceded and interrupted by a star-studded musical spectacle, including the first-ever official World Cup Halftime Show, held on 19 July at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Spain went on to beat defending champions Argentina after extra time, but the half-time break itself drew significant attention, with FIFA staging an 11-minute production designed to rival the scale of events such as the Super Bowl half-time show.
The performance featured Madonna, Shakira, BTS, Burna Boy, Coldplay's Chris Martin, Justin Bieber and the Muppets, watched by over 80,000 fans with the score still 0-0 at the break. Madonna opened with "Music", escorted onto the pitch by former Brazilian footballers Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, before the Muppets covered "Seven Nation Army" under conductor Gustavo Dudamel. BTS performed "Dynamite", Justin Bieber gave an acoustic rendition of "Everything Hallelujah" (introduced by Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt in character as Ted Lasso and Coach Beard), and Shakira and Burna Boy closed with tournament anthem "Dai Dai", before Martin, Shakira and the Muppets finished with "We Believe". The pre-match ceremony added performances from Jennifer Hudson, Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger, Laura Pausini and Post Malone, though not everyone was impressed: the Cure publicly criticised the spectacle on Instagram, calling it "bread and circuses".
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In short
- Spain beat Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final after extra time
- First official FIFA half-time show featured Madonna, BTS, Shakira and Muppets
- The Cure publicly slammed the "groundbreaking spectacle" as excessive
How this story developed
- 4 months ago Follow-up coverage refined details of the show, noting Brendan Hunt's role introducing Bieber's set alongside Jason Sudeikis was omitted, the closing number "We Believe" was newly described as featuring a children's chorus, and the Cure's criticism was rephrased simply as calling the show excessive.
- 4 months ago A star-studded, first-ever official World Cup Halftime Show at MetLife Stadium featured Madonna, Shakira, BTS, Coldplay's Chris Martin, Justin Bieber and the Muppets during Spain's extra-time win over Argentina, drawing praise for its scale but a rebuke from the Cure, who branded it "bread and circuses" on Instagram.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
These grand musical productions celebrate global culture and unity on one of the world's biggest stages, bringing together artists and fans across all nations and backgrounds. The carefully curated performances—from Madonna to BTS to artists representing Africa and Latin America—embody international collaboration and showcase contemporary music's power to unite. Such spectacles add ceremonial significance and memorable cultural moments that enhance the World Cup experience for billions of viewers, complementing rather than detracting from the athletic competition.
The case against
Elaborate halftime shows represent the subordination of sport to commercial entertainment spectacle, exemplifying the 'bread and circuses' critique that entertainment serves to distract rather than genuinely enrich. When resources, attention, and the global spotlight are devoted to celebrity performances rather than the athletes' achievements, the fundamental purpose of the World Cup—celebrating athletic excellence—is compromised. The focus on stars and production values suggests that organisers believe the sport itself is insufficient, requiring costly entertainment padding to maintain audience engagement.
Explained simply
Madonna performed "Music" at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, escorted onto the pitch by former Brazilian footballers Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, before the Muppets performed a cover of "Seven Nation Army" conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. BTS performed "Dynamite", Justin Bieber played an acoustic version of "Everything Hallelujah", introduced by Jason Sudeikis in character as Ted Lasso, and Shakira and Burna Boy performed the official tournament anthem "Dai Dai". The show closed with "We Believe", featuring a children's chorus.
The performance formed the first official FIFA World Cup Halftime Show, staged during the 2026 final between Spain and Argentina. It lasted around 11 minutes and also involved Coldplay's Chris Martin, alongside a pre-match ceremony featuring Jennifer Hudson, Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger, Laura Pausini and Post Malone.
The move is significant because it marks a deliberate expansion of the World Cup's entertainment offering, drawing comparisons with the Super Bowl halftime show, which has long been a major fixture of American sport and popular culture. Reaction to the spectacle was mixed, with British band the Cure among those publicly criticising it as excessive.
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Originally published by Pitchfork as “Watch Madonna, the Muppets, and More Perform at 2026 World Cup Final Halftime”.