Overview
- The 11‑minute halftime segment ran during the Argentina–Spain final on Sunday, July 19, in MetLife Stadium and was the first official halftime show in World Cup final history.
- Performers included Madonna, Shakira, BTS, Justin Bieber and Coldplay contributors, and Chris Martin curated the artistic program produced by Global Citizen with Live Nation and Done + Dusted.
- Staging and teardown extended the break well beyond standard practice, with reports citing roughly 27 minutes between halves because crews assembled and removed a large central platform.
- FIFA and Global Citizen said participating artists were unpaid, the tournament pledged $1 per ticket to the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, and organizers reported roughly $50–60 million raised for the fund.
- The production prompted a wide mix of praise and criticism on social media and is likely to shape future choices about how FIFA balances live entertainment, broadcast timing and match continuity.