Too Many Stars, Not Enough Vision — Why the World Cup’s First-Ever Halftime Show Left the World Wanting More

“Watching the halftime show left me speechless. The football was the entertainment. The halftime show was cultural degradation.” — Viewer on X

On paper, it should have been unforgettable. Madonna. Justin Bieber. BTS. Shakira. Coldplay. The first halftime show in FIFA World Cup history, staged on the grandest sporting stage on the planet. But when the final note faded at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, the overwhelming reaction from fans and critics alike was the same: what just happened?

History Made — But Not in the Way Anyone Hoped

The FIFA World Cup 2026 Final was already a historic occasion before a single performer took the stage. Spain and Argentina were set to battle it out for the sport’s ultimate prize, with the eyes of the world fixed on East Rutherford, New Jersey. For the first time ever, the tournament had a halftime show to match the occasion — or so the plan went.

Curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, the production promised something for everyone. What it delivered instead was a patchwork of disconnected moments that never quite came together into anything coherent.

From Roller Skates to Acoustic Guitar — A Show Without a Pulse

Madonna opened proceedings — but immediately raised eyebrows by lip-syncing rather than performing live, gliding onto the field through a tunnel while dancers roller-skated around her to her 2000 hit “Music.” What followed was stranger still: an extended spotlight on the Muppets’ Animal hammering away at a drum kit to the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army,” with no clear explanation for why.

BTS brought genuine energy with “Dynamite,” giving the crowd its first real moment to breathe — before actor Jason Sudeikis appeared out of nowhere, fully in character as Ted Lasso, to hand the baton to Justin Bieber. Bieber then pulled the handbrake entirely, delivering a slow acoustic version of “Everything Hallelujah” that drained whatever momentum BTS had built.

Shakira saved the show from total collapse. Appearing alongside Burna Boy for “Dai Dai,” she brought the energy roaring back with the kind of commanding, hip-shaking presence that reminded everyone what a great live performer actually looks like.

Coldplay closed things out with conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the PS22 Chorus — a viral choir of fourth and fifth graders from New York — spelling “Love” across the field beneath a giant globe. Sweet, wholesome, and utterly unable to rescue what had come before it.

The World Reacts

The verdict online was swift and merciless. Wayne Rooney, watching live on BBC Sport, put it plainly: “I like a lot of them artists, but I thought it was crap.”

Viewers on X piled on. “Disjointed, thematically all over the place, and really just lacking any vision whatsoever,” wrote one. Another called it “painfully empty — a circus.” A third summed up the pacing problem perfectly: “Hype to snooze to hype. Should’ve just been BTS and Shakira.”

The Bigger Picture

None of this diminished the cause behind the curtain. The show was staged in support of the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, working toward a $100 million goal to bring quality education and football access to children worldwide. Over $50 million has already been raised, with $1 from every World Cup ticket donated throughout the tournament — a genuinely meaningful initiative attached to a production that, on the night, couldn’t find its footing.

In the stands, the A-list turnout was everything you’d expect from the world’s biggest sporting event — Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Timothée Chalamet, Kylie Jenner, and President Trump among those watching from their seats.

The performers were world-class. The cause was worthy. The stage was the biggest in football. And still, somehow, the whole thing never clicked.

Maybe that’s the lesson. You can book every star on the planet — but without a clear vision holding it all together, all you’ve got is a very expensive mess.

Source: Compiled from various sources.