Madonna, Shakira, BTS and Justin Bieber to headline first-ever World Cup final halftime show at MetLife Stadium

Closing ceremony kicks off the spectacle

The final day of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will begin with a 90-minute pre-match ceremony at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Starting at 13:30 local time (17:30 GMT), the show will feature rapper Post Malone as the headline act, alongside Robbie Williams, Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger and the streamer IShowSpeed. Tom Cruise will make a special appearance whose details remain secret, and Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson will sing the US national anthem. The stadium, temporarily renamed New York New Jersey Stadium, will host 80,000 spectators, while more than one billion viewers are expected to watch worldwide.

Halftime show: a Super Bowl-style lineup

For the first time in World Cup history, the final will include a halftime concert modelled on the Super Bowl. Curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, the 11-minute performance will feature Madonna, Justin Bieber, Shakira and the South Korean group BTS as headliners. They will be joined by Nigerian Afrobeat star Burna Boy, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel leading the New York Philharmonic, the PS 22 Chorus from Staten Island, and Coldplay themselves. Characters from Sesame Street and the Muppet Show are also expected to appear. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has called it "the biggest stage of all time."

It will be the biggest stage of all time.

Logistics and controversy over an extended break

The official Laws of the Game allow a halftime interval of no more than 15 minutes, but multiple media outlets report that the break will be extended to accommodate the show. The BBC puts the pause at 20 to 25 minutes, while The Times suggests it could reach 30 minutes. FIFA has not yet issued a formal communication on the timing, leaving broadcasters uncertain two days before the final. To protect the pitch, producer Guy Carrington said workers will cover the turf with a tarp and roll out stages on carts, and remote camera systems have been tested to avoid leaving indentations.

This is about creating an entertaining halftime show, but it's also about doing it within the boundaries and to make sure it doesn't feel out of place, and that it leaves the pitch exactly as we found it.

Soccer purists have criticised the innovation. British sports sociologist John Williams said the concert would alter the character of the event, replacing tactical analysis and player recovery with a pop spectacle.

It will just change the whole character of the event. It won't feel right.

Fundraising and social impact

The halftime show is produced in partnership with Global Citizen, an advocacy platform co-founded by Chris Martin. Its chief executive, Hugh Evans, said Martin approached him with the idea four years ago. The event will support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which aims to raise $100 million to expand access to education and football for children worldwide. FIFA says half of that sum has already been secured, partly through a $1 contribution from each ticket sold during the tournament. Ticket prices for the final initially started at nearly $3,000 for the cheapest seat and have since risen sharply.

Political and environmental backdrop

US President Donald Trump will attend the final, his only stadium appearance of the tournament. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed his presence, saying it would "crown what has been the most watched, safest and most successful World Cup in US history." Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will sit in the same tribune alongside Trump and Infantino. Meanwhile, New York has been experiencing high heat and a plume of smoke from wildfires in Ontario, Canada, which has degraded air quality and could affect conditions around the stadium.