On the grandest stage in world football, the boundary between sport and spectacle was tested when a 27-minute half-time performance — nearly double the permitted limit — transformed the World Cup final in New York into something closer to a global cultural festival. Icons from Madonna to BTS gathered not merely to entertain, but to signal that football, in the modern era, has become a vessel for something far larger than the game itself. Whether that expansion enriches or dilutes the sport's essential meaning is a question the evening left deliberately unanswered.
Madonna, BTS and Shakira headline record-breaking World Cup half-time spectacle
Football is a language spoken without words, a force that unites people.
Mark
Why did they push the half-time show so far past the official limit? Was there pressure from broadcasters or sponsors?
Mimi
The source doesn't say explicitly, but you can read between the lines—this was a deliberate choice to create something unprecedented. They wanted it to be talked about, to rival the Super Bowl. That kind of ambition doesn't happen by accident.
Mark
And the performers themselves—did they know they were part of something that was breaking the rules?
Mimi
Almost certainly. You don't get Madonna, BTS, and Shakira in the same half-time show without months of planning. Everyone involved knew what they were building.
Mark
What struck you about Rooney's reaction?
Mimi
It was honest in a way that cut through all the spectacle. He wasn't saying the artists were bad—he was saying the whole thing felt wrong to him. Like the event had lost its center.
Mark
Do you think the rule violation matters, or is it just a technicality?
Mimi
It matters because it signals what the organizers value. Fifteen minutes is what the sport's rules say players need. Twenty-seven minutes says entertainment matters more than that.
Mark
Laura Pausini getting emotional about singing with Robbie Williams—that felt like a real moment amid all the production.
Mimi
It did. That's the thing about live performance: no matter how calculated the rest of it is, something genuine can still break through. Her goosebumps were real, even if everything else was choreographed.
Der Puls
- A 27-minute half-time show — almost twice the legally permitted 15-minute window — broke World Cup records and bent FIFA's own rules before a single note was played.
- The lineup read like a collision of eras and continents: Madonna, BTS returning from military service, Shakira reuniting with Burna Boy, and Justin Bieber all sharing a stage that was never meant to hold this much.
- The ceremony surrounding the match added its own layers of spectacle, with Tom Cruise delivering a philosophical ode to football and Laura Pausini reportedly overcome with emotion at being invited to perform alongside Robbie Williams.
- Not everyone was swept up — Wayne Rooney's blunt dismissal of the entire production gave voice to a growing unease about whether the sport itself is being crowded out by its own occasion.
- The event now sits at the centre of a live debate: can a World Cup final serve both the devoted football supporter and the global entertainment audience without ultimately betraying one of them?
On the grandest stage in world football, the boundary between sport and spectacle was tested when a 27-minute half-time performance — nearly double the permitted limit — transformed the World Cup final in New York into something closer to a global cultural festival. Icons from Madonna to BTS gathered not merely to entertain, but to signal that football, in the modern era, has become a vessel for something far larger than the game itself. Whether that expansion enriches or dilutes the sport's essential meaning is a question the evening left deliberately unanswered.
The World Cup final half-time show ran for more than 27 minutes — the longest in the tournament's history and nearly double the 15-minute maximum permitted by football's governing body. The overrun was no accident; it reflected a deliberate ambition to stage something that transcended sport entirely.
Madonna opened proceedings by rising from tunnels beneath the New York New Jersey Stadium, launching into her hit Music before being joined on stage by Brazilian legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho — a pairing designed to bridge pop culture and football heritage. Justin Bieber and Shakira performed together, while BTS marked their return to the public stage after a three-year absence during mandatory military service in South Korea.
The closing ceremony before kick-off had already set an extravagant tone. Jennifer Hudson sang the national anthem, Robbie Williams and Laura Pausini performed a duet that left Pausini visibly emotional, and actor Tom Cruise addressed the crowd with a brief reflection on football as a universal language. In the stands, figures like Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Kylie Jenner confirmed the event's status as a cultural landmark far beyond the pitch.
Yet the spectacle did not resonate with everyone. Wayne Rooney, working as a BBC commentator, offered an unvarnished verdict the moment the performances ended: "I thought it was crap." His reaction crystallised a tension the evening had quietly been building toward — whether a World Cup final can absorb this much entertainment without losing something essential to the sport at its heart.
The World Cup final half-time show stretched past 27 minutes—the longest in the tournament's history—and it was a deliberate choice that bent the rules. Football's governing body, the International Football Association Board, permits a maximum 15-minute stoppage for players to rest. This performance nearly doubled that window, and the decision had already sparked debate before the first note was sung.
Madonna opened the spectacle by emerging from tunnels beneath the stadium, launching into her 1998 hit Music. She was joined on stage by Brazilian football legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, a pairing that bridged the worlds of pop and sport in a way the organizers clearly intended as symbolic. The performance unfolded at the New York New Jersey Stadium, where thousands had gathered for the final match.
The lineup that followed read like a festival bill. Justin Bieber performed alongside Shakira, the Colombian artist who had reunited with Nigerian musician Burna Boy—they had previously shared the stage at the tournament's opening ceremony in Mexico City a month earlier. BTS, the South Korean K-pop supergroup, took their turn as well, marking a significant moment in their career: they were performing publicly again after a three-year hiatus spent fulfilling mandatory military service requirements in their home country.
Before the half-time entertainment began, the closing ceremony had already featured its own roster of performers. Jennifer Hudson sang the national anthem with a live band accompanying her. Streamer IShowSpeed appeared on the field alongside dancers and drummers dressed in bright tracksuits. Robbie Williams and Italian singer Laura Pausini performed together—a pairing that left Pausini visibly moved. She later told the BBC that she had goosebumps when Williams invited her to join him on stage. Post Malone also performed, delivering his song Wow to the crowd. Actor Tom Cruise then took the microphone to introduce the match itself, offering a brief meditation on football's power: "From every corner of the globe, we have witnessed greatness, and we have shared in moments of joy. Football is a language spoken without words, a force that unites people."
The celebrity attendance matched the star power on stage. Kylie Jenner and her boyfriend Timothée Chalamet were spotted in the stands, as were Beyoncé and Jay-Z, underscoring the event's status as a cultural moment that extended well beyond the sport itself.
But the extended spectacle did not land uniformly. Wayne Rooney, the former England player who was part of the BBC's commentary team, offered a blunt assessment immediately after the performances concluded. "I like a lot of them artists," he said, "but I thought it was crap." His reaction captured a tension that the record-breaking length had already made visible: the question of whether a World Cup final exists primarily as a sporting event or as a platform for entertainment, and whether those two things can coexist without one consuming the other.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
I like a lot of them artists, but I thought it was crap.— Wayne Rooney, former England player and BBC commentator
Football is a language spoken without words, a force that unites people.— Tom Cruise, introducing the match
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