At halftime of the World Cup final — with Argentina and Spain deadlocked 0-0 — FIFA had already declared a winner of sorts: its first-ever halftime show in a World Cup final, an 11-minute, family-friendly spectacle that brought together a parade of international stars and cultural moments.
Organizers pulled talent from six continents. The roster included Madonna (who opened the show), Justin Bieber, K-pop supergroup BTS, Shakira, Afrobeats star Burna Boy, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, conductor Gustavo Dudamel leading players from the New York Philharmonic and Venezuela’s Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, and Australia’s Emmanuel Kelly. There were also unexpected participants: the beloved Muppets, Uganda’s viral Ghetto Kids dance troupe, and Staten Island’s PS22 Chorus.
The tone of the show was deliberately unifying: togetherness, unity and love were the through-lines, even if the sequence itself felt more like a procession of fan-favorite moments than a tightly plotted narrative. Madonna kicked things off from a roller-rink–style set, riding in a dune buggy flanked by past Brazilian greats Ronaldo and Ronaldinho — an odd visual, but one that set the celebratory, carnival-like mood.
Dudamel’s presence tied the pop production to orchestral grandeur. He conducted musicians from both orchestras in arrangements that referenced stadium anthems, including a rendition of the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” performed with Muppet characters Animal, Janice and Floyd Pepper.
Shakira, who has been a prominent face of this World Cup’s music, appeared alongside Burna Boy — the pair having recorded the tournament’s official song — and danced with the Ghetto Kids. BTS delivered a high-energy K-pop segment, and Chris Martin closed the brief extravaganza singing with the children of PS22, their rainbow-colored outfits emblazoned with the word LOVE.
The show also threaded in viral and culturally specific moments from the tournament: orchestral players mimicked the now-famous “Norwegian row,” and Congolese superfan Michel Nkuka Mboladinga — known for his living-statue tributes — was referenced, nodding to the global fan culture that has animated this Cup.
Ted Lasso’s Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt appeared as playful interludes, introducing Justin Bieber with a faux “Beliebe” sign. Those cameos — and the many brief celebrity drop-ins — reinforced the family-friendly, feel-good bent of the production.
FIFA used the halftime platform to spotlight its Global Citizen Education Fund, which aims to raise $100 million to expand education and soccer access for children worldwide. The fund’s campaign, built around “using the power of love to defeat poverty and defend the planet,” was underscored by the show’s rainbow visuals and the children’s chorus. In a stadium attended by high-profile figures whose politics sometimes clash with such messaging, those visuals carried additional resonance.
Logistically and symbolically, the halftime show was a milestone for FIFA: a first for a World Cup final that assembled so many global stars in one short, theatrical burst. It wasn’t always seamless or cohesive, but it delivered exactly what it seemed designed to do — a joyful, telegenic celebration of music, sport and global togetherness.