The 2026 World Cup final staged a short, celebrity-packed half-time show that brought major pop names into the middle of football’s biggest match. The Guardian’s account presents it as smoother than the surrounding pre-match entertainment, but still a controversial change to the traditional rhythm of the final.
The segment reportedly ran for about 11 minutes and moved quickly between acts. Madonna, BTS, Shakira, Burna Boy, Coldplay, Justin Bieber and the Muppets’ Electric Mayhem were among those involved, with songs cut down to fit the compressed format.
The wider entertainment programme was less warmly described. The source says the UK’s BBC and ITV did not carry the pre-match closing ceremony live, while acts including Post Malone, Swae Lee, IShowSpeed, Jennifer Hudson, Robbie Williams, Laura Pausini and Nicole Scherzinger appeared around the final-day production.
The main editorial question is not whether FIFA can assemble famous performers, but whether this kind of spectacle belongs inside a World Cup final. The Guardian frames the show as an American-style innovation with some resistance from football traditionalists, and notes that Wayne Rooney was sharply unimpressed when asked for his view on the BBC.
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