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Für die Halbzeitshow wurde Justin Bieber wie ein Ersatzspieler eingewechselt.
Image: Keystone
During the first halftime show in soccer history, stars like Justin Bieber, Madonna, and Shakira put on a musical spectacle—and nearly doubled the halftime break to about 27 minutes.
Standing on a rainbow-colored tarp spread out over the lawn and accompanied by fireworks, a band, and dancers, the music stars performed for about eleven minutes.
There were more than 27 minutes between the end of the first half and the restart. The fact that the break—which is normally 15 minutes long—would be extended for the show had already sparked debate beforehand.
The spectacle began with Madonna, who was driven through the tunnel into the stadium alongside Brazilian soccer legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, among others, while singing her hit “Music.” Next, the South Korean band BTS performed the song “Dynamite.”
Canadian superstar Justin Bieber was brought in as a substitute—by actors Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt from the soccer series “Ted Lasso.” Then Bieber played guitar and sang a stripped-down version of his song “Everything Hallelujah.” He also changed one line of the lyrics to “It’s the World Cup—Hallelujah.”
Finally, Shakira and Burna Boy, surrounded by dancers, performed their World Cup hit “Dai dai.” Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel performed alongside the band Coldplay and a New York elementary school choir. The Muppet character Elmo was on drums. Meanwhile, scenes from this tournament and soccer history were shown on the screens.
After the final whistle, a countdown clock began counting down five minutes until the halftime show; then volunteers unfurled a rainbow-colored tarp across the field, featuring a large, colorful soccer ball and various words in different languages —including the word “faith.” A musical orchestra also took the field. To conclude the display, balloons were released, and the letters of the word “Love” were presented in a large, Woodstock-hippie-style arrangement.
In U.S. football, the halftime show has long been an integral part of the spectacle. Superstars like Rihanna, Bad Bunny, Prince, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, and Beyoncé have performed halftime shows at the Super Bowl—the championship game of the NFL—and have thus ensured high ratings and plenty of talking points. But there has never been anything like this at a soccer World Cup.
The fans in the stadium celebrated the spectacle with cheers and applause. Reactions online and from commentators, however, were mixed. “I think soccer will have to get used to this, whether you think it’s good or bad,” said former German national team player Christoph Kramer on ZDF. “Personally, I’m not really a fan of it right now.”
Former England national team player Wayne Rooney was more direct in an interview with the BBC: “I like a lot of these artists, but I thought it was crap.” He just wanted soccer back. His former teammate Gary Neville, on the other hand, told the TV network ITV that he enjoyed the show.
The halftime show was curated by Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin—on behalf of FIFA, the world soccer federation, and the advocacy group Global Citizen, which co-produced the show. The event is also intended to raise funds to support children’s education worldwide.
Even before kickoff, there had been a World Cup closing celebration. Amid plenty of fireworks and dancing, singer Post Malone and YouTuber IShowSpeed, among others, took the stage about an hour and a half before the game.
Shortly before the game began, musicians Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger, and Laura Pausini took the field together, and Grammy Award winner Jennifer Hudson sang the U.S. national anthem. Actor Tom Cruise also stepped onto the field and gave a brief speech. “Now that we’ve gathered for this final chapter, let’s celebrate this tournament that has brought the world together.”
Among those spotted in the audience during the game were stars such as “Vogue” editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, professional basketball player Jalen Brunson, actors Anya Taylor-Joy and Adrien Brody, and celebrity couples Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner, as well as Rihanna and A$AP Rocky.
20.07.2026, 00:18
