Jon Stewart Says the World Cup Final Was the ‘Reverse Super Bowl’: ‘The Players Spoke Spanish and the Halftime Show Was in English’

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Jon Stewart Says the World Cup Final Was the ‘Reverse Super Bowl’: ‘The Players Spoke Spanish and the Halftime Show Was in English’

Variety · 12 hours ago

Spain
Spain
1
FIFA WC26
1-0
Finished
Argentina
Argentina
0

Key moments
  1. 41'

    Yellow card
    Lisandro MARTINEZ (Argentina) is booked by
  2. 52'

    Yellow card
    Leandro PAREDES (Argentina) is booked by
  3. 82'

    Yellow card
    Enzo FERNANDEZ (Argentina) is booked by
  4. 90'+2'

    Yellow card
    Cristian ROMERO (Argentina) is booked by
  5. 90'+3'

    Red card
    Enzo FERNANDEZ (Argentina) is booked for
  6. 105'

    Yellow card
    Lionel SCALONI (Argentina) is booked by
  7. 106'

    Goal
    Ferran TORRES (Spain) scores!!
  8. 111'

    Yellow card
    Alexis MAC ALLISTER (Argentina) is booked
Squads
Spain squad
  • Selected
  • 8 Fabian RUIZ
    Midfielder
  • 10 Dani OLMO
    Forward
  • 12 Pedro PORRO
    Defender
  • 14 Aymeric LAPORTE
    Defender
  • 15 Alex BAENA
    Midfielder
  • 16 RODRI
    C Midfielder
  • 19 Lamine YAMAL
    Forward
  • 21 Mikel OYARZABAL
    Forward
  • 22 Pau CUBARSI
    Defender
  • 23 Unai SIMON
    Goalkeeper
  • 24 Marc CUCURELLA
    Defender
  • 1 David RAYA
    Goalkeeper
  • 2 Marc PUBILL
    Defender
  • 3 Alex GRIMALDO
    Defender
  • 4 Eric GARCIA
    Defender
  • 5 Marcos LLORENTE
    Defender
  • 6 Mikel MERINO
    Midfielder
  • 7 Ferran TORRES
    Forward
  • 9 GAVI
    Midfielder
  • 11 Yeremy PINO
    Forward
  • 13 Joan GARCIA
    Goalkeeper
  • 17 Nico WILLIAMS
    Forward
  • 18 Martin ZUBIMENDI
    Midfielder
  • 20 PEDRI
    Midfielder
  • 25 Victor MUNOZ
    Forward
  • 26 Borja IGLESIAS
    Forward
Argentina squad
  • Selected
  • 3 Nicolas TAGLIAFICO
    Defender
  • 4 Gonzalo MONTIEL
    Defender
  • 6 Lisandro MARTINEZ
    Defender
  • 7 Rodrigo DE PAUL
    Midfielder
  • 9 Julian ALVAREZ
    Forward
  • 10 Lionel MESSI
    C Forward
  • 13 Cristian ROMERO
    Defender
  • 15 Nico GONZALEZ
    Midfielder
  • 20 Alexis MAC ALLISTER
    Midfielder
  • 23 Emiliano MARTINEZ
    Goalkeeper
  • 24 Enzo FERNANDEZ
    Midfielder
  • 1 Juan MUSSO
    Goalkeeper
  • 2 Marcos SENESI
    Defender
  • 5 Leandro PAREDES
    Midfielder
  • 8 Valentin BARCO
    Midfielder
  • 11 Giovani Lo Celso
    Midfielder
  • 12 Geronimo RULLI
    Goalkeeper
  • 14 Exequiel PALACIOS
    Midfielder
  • 16 Thiago ALMADA
    Forward
  • 17 Giuliano SIMEONE
    Forward
  • 18 Nico PAZ
    Forward
  • 19 Nicolas OTAMENDI
    Defender
  • 21 Jose Manuel LOPEZ
    Forward
  • 22 Lautaro MARTINEZ
    Forward
  • 25 Facundo MEDINA
    Defender
  • 26 Nahuel MOLINA
    Defender

Comedian Jon Stewart remarked on the World Cup final during Monday's episode of his show, noting that Spain's victory over Argentina created an unusual cultural contrast. He characterised the match as inverted from typical American sporting broadcasts, observing that whilst the athletes communicated in Spanish, the inaugural World Cup halftime performance—featuring Madonna, Justin Bieber, and Muppet characters—unfolded in English. Stewart found particular humour in the staging choices, questioning why a vampire character would perform in daylight whilst the game remained scoreless for much of its duration.

Stewart's monologue also addressed the post-match ceremony, expressing frustration over Trump's decision to remain on stage during the trophy presentation. He characterised this as an inappropriate intrusion into a moment traditionally designated for the winning players, suggesting it exemplified an ego-driven disruption of the sporting event's proper focus.

  • Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in the 2026 World Cup final, which featured the tournament's first halftime show
  • Stewart joked the match was a 'reverse Super Bowl' due to Spanish-speaking players and English-language entertainment
  • Stewart criticised President Trump's appearance on the trophy presentation stage, traditionally reserved for players only

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