The World Cup final half-time show featured a number of A-listers
The World Cup half-time show has divided the opinion of the viewing public, with a star-studded performers’ list entertaining the crowd during the break of the final.
With Spain and Argentina playing out a rather turgid first 45 minutes in New Jersey, the game ended 0-0 at the interval and all eyes quickly turned to the much-publicised half-time show.
Football’s governing body FIFA had organised a Super Bowl-style show for the break, with a star-studded line-up of music acts set to perform.
Curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, the show saw Madonna, Justin Bieber, Shakira and K-pop band BTS all take to the stage in front of the 82,500-capacity crowd at the MetLife Stadium and the billions watching around the world.
Earlier this week, FIFA faced backlash after it was reported that the half-time show could last up to 30 minutes, in what would be a breach of the International Football Association Board’s (IFAB) Laws of the Game.
In the end they were forced to cut it down to 17 minutes long.
It began with music legend Madonna dancing to a melody of her old hits, bizarrely accompanied by Brazilian football stars Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.
Then came BTS with their song Dynamite, before Ted Lasso actor Jason Sudeikis, in character, introduced Bieber.
The show then came to an end with Colombian legend Shakira, performing Dai Dai with Burna Boy, the official song of the World Cup 2026.
The official anthem, as with previous tracks from the tournament, has been celebrated over the last few weeks, bringing nations from across the world together for one occasion.
Coldplay star Martin and the Muppets then rounded things off on the pitch with Venezuelan orchestra conductor Gustavo Dudamel, of the prestigious New York Philharmonic.
The show, naturally, saw viewers torn, with may expressing their opinions online.
One said: “That was actually alright, you know.”
Another added: “This feels a bit like that Simpsons episode when Bart and Milhouse eat too many sweets.”
A third said: “This doesn’t feel like the World Cup final. It’s all very weird. Just feels like some football is occasionally taking place around some random nonsense and shouting.”
Hollywood actor Hugh Grant said: “If football was processed cheese.”
Wayne Rooney, meanwhile, in the BBC studio, was pretty blunt in his own assessment.
“I like a lot of those artists, but I thought it was cr*p,” he said, prompting laughs from Micah Richards, Joe Hart and host Gabby Logan.
“Mine was when it finished,” he said of his favourite part. Rooney added: “I like a lot of those artists but I thought it was cr*p. I did, honestly, it just didn’t get me going, I wanted the football to come back on.”
He later explained that he believed Justin Bieber’s performance was “flat”.
“I liked Burna Boy, I like Bieber, I like Shakira but that was too flat,” he fumed.
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