2026 World Cup Final: Stars, Show and a 27-Minute Halftime

The actual program began with actor Tom Cruise, who stepped onto the pitch and delivered a brief address. He called for celebrating the tournament that had brought the world together. Cruise said: "Lasst uns - jetzt wo wir uns für ein finales Kapitel treffen - dieses Turnier feiern, das die Welt zusammengebracht hat." Here too, the idea of a language without words was central, which he later described again as "language spoken without words."

Singer Post Malone was part of the pre-game entertainment, as was actor Timothée Chalamet, who brought the match ball to the side of the pitch. Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson sang the U.S. national anthem shortly before kickoff. On the stadium screens, football legend Pelé was shown, embodying the leitmotif of the show, a quote from his farewell speech of 1977, in which he invoked "Love, love, love" as the most important value.

Madonna Opens the Show

At the first halftime show in football history, Madonna opened with her rhythmically reworked hymn "Music," released in 2000 and thus 26 years old at the time of the show. Together with Brazilian football legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, she drove into the stadium's catacombs on an oversized go-kart. Ronaldinho sat in the passenger seat, Ronaldo steered the vehicle.

The South Korean band BTS then performed the song "Dynamite," with members wearing jerseys bearing the number 7 — a tribute to the seven band members. Justin Bieber was substituted onto the stage like a replacement player, played guitar and sang his song "Everything Hallelujah" in minimalist fashion, changing the lyrics to "It's the World Cup - Hallelujah." He wore clothing from his own fashion label SKYLRK.

Bieber, Shakira and the Muppets

Finally, Shakira and Burna Boy sang their World Cup hit "Dai dai," surrounded by dancers. The Muppet character Elmo sat at the drums — thanks to the Muppets, they contributed to lightening the show with absurd comedy. Spanish coach Luis de la Fuente noted that a 30-minute halftime break at such events could be completely normal in a few years.

The musical finale was provided by Chris Martin and Burna Boy together with a large children's choir and the Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who performed alongside the band Coldplay and a New York elementary school choir. Coldplay also presented their new song "We Dance," which had only just been released officially. To close, balloons were added and, in a Woodstock hippie aesthetic, the letters of the word "Love" were presented in giant form.

Technology, Conversion and Criticism

After the end of the first half, a countdown clock initially began counting down five minutes to the halftime show. Helpers rolled out across the pitch a rainbow-colored tarp with a large colorful football and words in various languages, including the word "Glauben." The tarp looked like graffiti from the early 1980s. Regarding the pace of the conversions during the break, the report wrote that it was reminiscent of a pit stop in Formula 1.

The break, originally planned at 15 minutes, was nearly doubled to approximately 27 minutes by the show. The orchestra of conversions struck the author as a small horror show, an impression he summarized verbatim as "kleine Horror-Show." Online, the significantly extended halftime break sparked lively discussion.

Celebrities in the Stands

Numerous prominent guests could be seen in the stands. Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour sat in the stadium, as did basketball pro Jalen Brunson, actors Anya Taylor-Joy and Adrien Brody, as well as actors Javier Bardem and Matt Damon. The celebrity couples Timothée Chalamet with Kylie Jenner and Rihanna with A$AP Rocky watched the game side by side. Mick Jagger, whose English team had been eliminated in the semifinals, was apparently cheering on new sympathies.

After the final whistle, Spain's King Felipe VI. raised the World Cup trophy. The French-looking tennis pro Carlos Alcaraz, a Spanish compatriot of the winning team, congratulated his compatriots in person on the pitch. Actor Javier Bardem joined the newly crowned world champions on the pitch immediately after the final whistle. Victoria and David Beckham also followed the action from a VIP lounge.

Background and Context

The halftime show was organized by Hugh Evans, who had announced it in advance as "die elf unterhaltsamsten Minuten der Geschichte." In fact, the musical performances lasted around eleven minutes, but the entire break lasted nearly half an hour. The halftime show was curated by Coldplay singer Chris Martin — on behalf of world football's governing body (FIFA) and the aid movement Global Citizen, which co-produced the show.

The spectacle was also intended to raise money to support the education of children worldwide. The show was modeled after the halftime show of the American Super Bowl. Even before the tournament, the halftime show was controversial, and FIFA had to absorb considerable criticism during the competition. The article, a photo gallery with 18 images, appeared in Tagesspiegel Plus and is by Inga Barthels (APA, 20.7.2026).

The final question of the report was directed at readers with a view to a comparison: "War das jetzt besser als der Bambini-Kick?" The headline thus alluded to the idea that such a show provokes comparison with a children's football match. Overall, the photo gallery provided a photographic cross-section of the illustrious guest list of an extraordinary football evening.