FIFA World Cup hosted its first-ever halftime final show.
Madonna, Shakira and BTS were among the biggest names who performed.
A staggeringly illustrious number of spectators were present.
Madonna, BTS, Shakira and Justin Bieber have performed for thousands of spectators at the World Cup final in a half-time show that's among the longest in World Cup history.
The show at MetLife Stadium, home to the NFL's New York Jets and New York Giants, was a gesture at bringing Super Bowl-style energy to the World Cup, but the performance was significantly more packed than the regular 13-minute American football counterpart. Each headliner spent about two minutes performing.
What Did Madonna and BTS Perform?
Madonna blasted open the show with her 2000 hit "Music" alongside Brazilian soccer legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. It began with a prerecorded roller-rink sequence before the singer rode into the stadium on a dune buggy, belting out, “Music, makes the people come together.”
Global titans BTS ensued with an enthralling performance of their global smash hit "Dynamite", capping another historic milestone for the group as the first K-pop act to perform at a FIFA World Cup final half-time show. For Jungkook, it was also a return to football’s biggest stage. Four years after making history as the first Korean solo artist to perform at a FIFA World Cup event with Dreamers at the 2022 tournament in Qatar, he once again took centre stage at FIFA’s biggest night.
Justin Bieber then turned the mood with an acoustic rendition of "Everything Hallelujah", before Shakira and Burna Boy joined forces for a performance of Dai Dai, the official anthem of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The collaboration brought together Latin pop and Afrobeats, celebrating the tournament’s global spirit. Bieber walked out alone with no dancers or pyrotechnics, just a guitar strumming its total glory.
Several celebrities were spotted watching on, including Kylie Jenner and her boyfriend Timothee Chalamet, as well as Beyonce and Jay-Z. The show went on for eleven minutes. FIFA’s rules give halftime a 15-minute window for broadcast, and the production had to work backwards from the technical requirements of resetting the pitch. After the performances, Tom Cruise took to the stage to introduce the match, "From every corner of the globe, we have witnessed greatness, and we have shared in moments of joy," he told the crowd. "Football is a language spoken without words, a force that unites people."
