Inside the 2026 World Cup final halftime show: Shakira, Madonna, BTS, Bieber and more

The first-ever World Cup final halftime show packed plenty into 11 minutes. Here's everything you might have missed.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 final got the Super Bowl treatment for the first time ever, turning soccer's biggest stage into a global celebration of music, culture and unity.

The 11-minute spectacle featured performances from Madonna, Justin Bieber, BTS, Shakira and Burna Boy, while also squeezing in soccer royalty, children's choirs, the Muppets and a little "Ted Lasso" charm.

The show at MetLife Stadium, home to the NFL's New York Jets and New York Giants, was an attempt to bring Super Bowl-style energy to the World Cup, but the performance was considerably more packed than the usual 13-minute American football counterpart. Each headliner spent about two minutes performing.

Madonna opened the show with her 2000 hit "Music" alongside Brazilian soccer legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. It began with a prerecorded roller-rink sequence before the singer rode into the stadium on a dune buggy, singing, “Music, makes the people come together.”

Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the Electric Mayhem band from "Sesame Street" followed with au a rendition of the White Stripes' stadium anthem "Seven Nation Army."

A nod to Norway's viral Viking row introduced BTS, who took over the pitch with a performance of "Dynamite." The K-pop supergroup was joined by a large group of dancers as fans throughout the stadium sang along.

Justin Bieber followed after an introduction from "Ted Lasso" stars Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt, who appeared in character and held up a playful "BELIEB" sign. Accompanied by an acoustic guitar, Bieber performed "Everything Hallelujah," changing the tempo with an acoustic performance.

Shakira and Burna Boy then brought the energy back up with "Dai Dai," the official song of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Joined by various dancers, including a group of children, the pair performed the tournament anthem that was heard before all 104 matches during the competition.

The show closed with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, Dudamel, the PS22 Chorus of elementary school students from Staten Island and a cast of Muppets and "Sesame Street" characters, including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and Cookie Monster.

The colorful finale underscored a theme woven throughout the performance: unity and love.

The pregame spectacle

The star-studded entertainment began well before kickoff with a variation of anthems.

Jennifer Hudson delivered a live rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner," an unusual addition for a World Cup final, where the host nation's anthem is not traditionally performed.

Spain's "La Marcha Real" was performed by Spanish Brass, while Argentine singer María Becerra sang Argentina's “Himno Nacional Argentino."

Tennis star Carlos Alcaraz and "Squid Game" actor Jung Hoyeon then presented the World Cup trophy in its Louis Vuitton trunk before Tom Cruise took the field to introduce the finalists.

"Today only two teams remain: España!" Cruise told the crowd before adding, "y Argentina!" He later called on fans to celebrate "a tournament that brought the world together."

The musical lineup also included internet personality IShowSpeed, who performed his World Cup-themed song "Champions," and Post Malone, who debuted new track "Chrome Heartbreaker" before reuniting with Swae Lee for their hit collaboration "Sunflower."

Robbie Williams also took the stage to perform FIFA anthem "Desire," joined by Nicole Scherzinger and Italian singer Laura Pausini.