For the first time in World Cup history, the championship match featured a Super Bowl-style halftime.
The show, which took place during Argentina and Spain’s matchup, occurred at the MetLife Stadium in New York.
Madonna opened, singing her hit “Music“ after a pre-recorded roller rink intro, entering the stadium on a dune buggy alongside Brazilian football legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.
Then Gustavo Dudamel and The Muppets took the stage. The Venezuelan conductor led members of the New York Philharmonic and Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra in a rendition of The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army,“ backed by Animal and other Muppets on the drums and other instruments.
The boy band BTS performed their high-energy hit song “Dynamite.”
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Then Jason Sudeikis, in character as Ted Lasso, introduced Justin Bieber. The multi-time Grammy Award winner sang an acoustic version of “Everything Hallelujah.”
Some of the lyrics to Bieber’s song read:
Good morning, caught us dancing in the sunrise
Baby’s crawling on the floor
And we don’t have to go to Mississippi
Bring the river to your side
Baby, we find love in these moments
We don’t even have to try
I could sing a song but the words just wouldn’t do
So I said hallelujah, hallelujah, baby
Let’s take a walk, hallelujah
Sun is out, hallelujah
I’m kissin’ you, hallelujah
Dream of you, hallelujah
Look at you, hallelujah
I’m lovin’ you, hallelujah
Everything hallelujah
Everything hallelujah
Bieber definitely brought the energy in the stadium down, but he reminded millions of viewers to be grateful for all that they’ve been blessed with, no matter what it may be. After Bieber, Shakira & Burna Boy took the stage, where they delivered the official 2026 World Cup anthem “Dai Dai,“ surrounded by feather-clad dancers and youth performers.
Shakira said ahead of the show, “It’s going to be pretty historic, five amazing artists. Well, four amazing artists plus me.”
Some fans were upset with the extended show because it was a much longer halftime than they were used to, but the show reminded people across the globe that “music brings people together.”
The event supported the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, with a goal to raise $100 million for children’s education and youth football programs across the world.
In the end, the ambitious 2026 halftime experiment was more than just high-octane entertainment — it was a global moment of purpose. While the stretched timeline sparked debate among soccer purists, the star-studded lineup achieved what music and sport do best: bringing people together across cultures.
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