Soccer fans divided over World Cup's first-ever halftime show

The first-ever halftime show at the 2026 World Cup Final opened with Madonna singing, "Music makes the people come together."

But online reaction to the 11-minute-43-second blur of superstar performances proved to be divided.

Here’s a quick recap. On Sunday, the 67-year-old pop icon kicked off the Super Bowl-style show in vibrant colour, arriving in a jeep driven by Brazilian football legends Ronaldinho and Ronaldo before stepping onto the pitch alongside the pair.

Colourful World Cup halftime performance brings out Shakira, Madonna and Justin Bieber

She then passed the mic over to the Muppets band, Electric Mayhem, who performed a version of The White Stripes’ iconic Seven Nation Army alongside Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel. Next came an explosive performance by K-pop superstars BTS, who lit up MetLife Stadium with their 2020 hit Dynamite.

After the group danced across the field, the cameras cut to none other than Jason Sudeikis as his manager alter ego, Ted Lasso, and Brendan Hunt as Coach Beard. As they strolled across the field, the pair mused about calling in a substitute — someone who has "some heart" and "some soul" — before introducing Justin Bieber. The 32-year-old stripped the production back with an acoustic guitar performance of his 2025 hit Everything Hallelujah.

Shakira and her hips then brought the energy roaring back, teaming up with Burna Boy for their World Cup anthem Dai Dai.

The show concluded on a heartfelt note with the PS22 Chorus, a choir made up of elementary school students from Staten Island, N.Y. They performed We Dance, backed by Dudamel and joined by Coldplay singer Chris Martin, who curated the entire performance, along with Shakira, the Muppets, Justin Bieber and