Oasis singer Liam Gallagher publicly criticised the World Cup's first-ever halftime show, calling it "like a bad trip" in a series of posts on X during Spain's 1-0 win over Argentina. The star-studded, nearly 12-minute performance was curated by Coldplay's Chris Martin and featured Madonna, Shakira, BTS, Justin Bieber, Burna Boy and others, drawing a strong reaction from the outspoken Britpop frontman, who dismissed the spectacle as "cuckoo" and "absolutely insane behaviour".

The show opened with Madonna performing "Music", followed by Shakira and Burna Boy's "Dai Dai", a live rendition of "Dynamite" from BTS, and an acoustic take on "Everything Hallelujah" from Bieber. Orchestral musicians from the New York Philharmonic and Venezuela's Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra played The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army", before the segment closed with Martin, the PS22 Chorus and the Muppets amid fireworks. Music also featured prominently at the tournament's closing ceremony, with performers including Post Malone, Robbie Williams and Jennifer Hudson, and an appearance from Tom Cruise, prompting FIFA president Gianni Infantino to praise the fusion of football and entertainment.