Madonna, Shakira, and BTS will headline FIFA’s first-ever World Cup halftime show on July 19 in New Jersey.
The Super Bowl-like spectacle is routine for U.S. audiences, but will be a break from tradition for soccer purists.
Halftimes in soccer stick to a strict 15-minute break, as demanded by the universal “Laws of the Game.” With the all-star lineup, FIFA will likely extend the halftime break beyond 15 minutes. Bad Bunny’s performance at Super Bowl LX lasted about 13 minutes, but the time it took to set up and break down the set meant that halftime lasted 25 minutes.
The show will also likely happen on MetLife Stadium’s temporary grass field after the halftime show at last year’s Club World Cup was performed from the stands, presumably to save time and preserve the playing surface.
FIFA did not respond to questions about whether it would use the field or extend halftime past 15 minutes. The Athletic reported Wednesday that FIFA has drafted plans to use the field.
FIFA made the announcement around midnight Eastern time early Thursday morning with a video featuring Coldplay’s Chris Martin, who “curated” the show, and characters from Sesame Street. The show will be produced by Global Citizen, a nonprofit that stages events and concerts as part of their goal of “ending extreme poverty now.” Headliner Shakira also recorded the tournament’s official song, “Dai Dai,” with Nigerian singer Burna Boy.
FIFA confirmed later Thursday that characters from Sesame Street and the Muppets will also appear in the halftime show.
The World Cup kicks off on June 11 in Mexico City. Each of the three host nations is also getting a pregame musical performance with several artists for each match, headlined by J Balvin in Mexico City, Michael Bublé in Toronto, and Katy Perry in L.A.
FIFA tested the idea of a halftime show at the final of last year’s Club World Cup between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, also held in New Jersey. Doja Cat, J Balvin, Tems, and Coldplay performed from the stands, rather than on the field. The show was only 11 minutes, but the entire halftime still took more than 20 minutes. That performance was also put on by Martin and Global Citizen.
Though the World Cup halftime announcement will ruffle some feathers, it isn’t a surprise. FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed that the final will feature a halftime show last year.
The halftime lineup is the latest move in FIFA’s push to adapt to and profit from the U.S. sports and entertainment market. Infantino has consistently repeated a narrative about the North American market when talking about the tournament, from collectibles to ticketing.
“We are in a market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world,” Infantino said last week when discussing high ticket prices. “So we have to apply market rates.”
All World Cup games will include two three-minute hydration breaks midway through each half. The move is partially inspired by last summer’s heat wave that impacted the Club World Cup, but FIFA has also said it will sell commercials during these stoppages.
