Pop Icons To Headline First-Ever FIFA World Cup Halftime Show
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The FIFA World Cup final will take place at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19, 2026. It will break a 96-year-old tradition by staging a Super Bowl-style halftime show. Previous World Cups have featured musical acts only during the opening or closing ceremonies.
The event is a partnership between FIFA and New York-based non-profit, Global Citizen. The star-studded lineup includes Madonna, Shakira, and K-pop sensation BTS. The show will also feature characters from The Muppets and Sesame Street. Beloved figures like Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Elmo, and Cookie Monster will share the stage with the singers.
Besides entertaining fans, the halftime show also has a charitable goal. It aims to raise $100 million for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund. The money will help support education and soccer programs for children in underserved communities across ten countries. FIFA will help launch the effort by donating $1 from every ticket sold throughout the 39-day tournament.
Exciting as it sounds, not everyone is thrilled with the idea of having a show in the middle of the game. In professional soccer, halftime typically lasts just 15 minutes. This helps keep players' muscles from cooling down and stiffening up. However, to make this concert work, FIFA is extending halftime to about 30 minutes.
The actual musical performance will last for only 11 minutes. But the crew needs the extra time to roll the massive stages on and off the field. To reduce the risk of player injuries, the teams will be allowed a short rewarm-up period on the field before the second half begins. However, critics worry that the longer break could affect players’ performance.
The success of this new format will depend on how well everything runs. If the production crew can manage the tight schedule, the halftime show could become a regular feature of future World Cups.
Resources: Fifa.com, globalcitizen.org, CNN.com
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5 Comments
i_love_godabout 11 hoursYES BTS!!!
pofanerotosaabout 12 hoursAwesome!!!!!- mangomango6about 21 hoursCool
littlest4rl1ght1 dayThat's wild!- jozobakewohu1 dayThat’s crazy
