The halftime show organized by FIFA for the first time in the World Cup, featuring international stars, sparked widespread controversy, with viewers around the world divided between those who rejected it and those who praised it.
Madonna opened the show, inspired by the halftime acts of the Super Bowl, which is one of the American-themed features added to this year's edition of the tournament, with a performance of her song "Music".
She began singing from the tunnel of the New York/New Jersey stadium, before entering the field on a beach buggy driven by Brazilian football legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.
Next, the spotlight shifted to renowned Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who led an orchestra comprised of musicians from New York and Venezuela, along with the Muppets-inspired band "Electric Mayhem" and their famous drummer "Animal," to perform a version of the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army."
Next, BTS took to the stage in black and red outfits to perform their fast-paced hit "Dynamite." Then, American actors Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt, portraying their characters from the TV series "Ted Lasso," introduced Justin Bieber, who slowed the pace of the show with a rendition of "Everything Hallelujah," altering the ending to "World Cup Hallelujah."
The show also saw Shakira's return to the World Cup stage, where she dazzled in a pink and yellow patterned jumpsuit and performed her song "Day Day" with Burna Boy, while K-pop group BTS entertained the audience with their song "Daynight".
Fan reactions were sharply divided, with one saying: "What a disaster this show was. Everything was pre-recorded, and we didn't see any collaborations or surprise moments. Where was Madonna at the end? She could have sung a few lines with Shakira... Everything was so strange. A lot of hype with no substance."
But another viewer, highlighting the sharp divide, wrote: "I hate a lot of what FIFA does... but the halftime show was absolutely brilliant." Another sarcastically asked: "Who came up with this show? Was it ChatGBT?"
Others commented that Bieber seemed out of sync, but Shakira's arrival after him made everything make sense. They praised the international diversity, positive message, and family-friendly nature of the show, and thought that Ronaldinho and Ronaldo couldn't believe their eyes hanging out with Madonna.
The show was not spared criticism from former England star Wayne Rooney, who jokingly said that his favorite part of the show was when it ended, adding angrily: "To be honest, I like a lot of these artists but honestly I thought it was rubbish. It didn't excite me, I wanted football to come back. It was a bit dull. I like Burna Boy, Shakira and Bieber but the show was very dull."
Singer Liam Gallagher also launched an attack, saying: "This is like a bad trip," adding: "It's a good thing I wore my spirit socks, otherwise this entertainment show could have pushed me to the brink."
Not only did the halftime show, but the closing ceremony of the World Cup final also included performances and appearances by big-name artists including Post Malone, Tom Cruise, Nicole Scherzinger, influencer iShowspeed, Oscar-winning singer Jennifer Hudson, Robbie Williams, and Italian singer Laura Pausini.
Stars such as Cruz, Timothée Chalamet, Kylie Jenner, Matt Damon and Adrien Brody joined the fans in the stands, while Spanish actor Javier Bardem, skiing legend Lindsey Vonn and actress Julia Garner attended FIFA's pre-match Golden Carpet event.
Before the match began, the halftime show drew criticism for exceeding the traditional 15-minute break.
The international rules of the game stipulate that players are entitled to a break between halves "not exceeding 15 minutes," while the tournament regulations refer to a 15-minute break without explicitly prohibiting exceeding it.
The musical segments lasted for 11 minutes, but the entire break extended to about 27 minutes due to the time needed to transport the equipment to the field, install it, and then remove it.
