FIFA has added an 11-minute halftime show to Sunday's World Cup final between Spain and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium, featuring Coldplay, Justin Bieber, Madonna, BTS and Shakira. The idea originated with Coldplay's Chris Martin during the 2022 Qatar tournament, and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, already a Coldplay fan, embraced it independently. The move has proved divisive, with some football fans seeing it as an unnecessary "Americanisation" of the tournament, echoing complaints about other perceived commercial additions such as hydration breaks.

The show, organised with Global Citizen, aims to raise $100 million (about £78 million) for youth education, with FIFA donating $1 from every ticket sold and Shakira contributing royalties from her World Cup anthem "Dai Dai" with Burna Boy. A UCLA music industry expert argued that while the format borrows from the Super Bowl, the largely international lineup means it globalises the production model rather than American culture itself. Tom Cruise is also set to appear at the closing ceremony, and the BTS Army fanbase has already helped raise around $40,000 for the fund, with betting interest in the show also appearing on prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket.