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H1: World Cup Halftime Show 2026 Review: Madonna, BTS, Shakira, and Bieber Divide Fans as Wayne Rooney Delivers the Bluntest Verdict on BBC
Tags: World Cup halftime show 2026 review, Wayne Rooney crap BBC halftime, Madonna World Cup halftime, BTS Dynamite World Cup 2026, Shakira Burna Boy Dai Dai, Justin Bieber Everything Hallelujah, Gustavo Dudamel Muppets Seven Nation Army, Chris Martin World Cup halftime curator, Jason Sudeikis Ted Lasso World Cup, Coldplay Believe in Love World Cup final
Category: Sports / Entertainment
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The World Cup halftime show 2026 review is in, and the verdict is as divided as any halftime show since the Super Bowl concept exported itself to the world’s largest sporting event. For the first time in FIFA World Cup history, the final on July 19 featured a halftime performance during the match at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, with Spain and Argentina tied 0-0 at the break. Curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, the 11-minute show featured Madonna, BTS, Justin Bieber, Shakira with Burna Boy, conductor Gustavo Dudamel leading The Muppets and the New York Philharmonic, and a cameo from Jason Sudeikis in character as Ted Lasso, closing with Coldplay and a children’s choir. It was, depending on who you asked, either a family-friendly global spectacle that delivered exactly what FIFA intended or, in the words of Wayne Rooney live on BBC Sport, simply “crap.”
The Full Setlist: What Happened and In What Order
The show ran for 11 minutes of performance time, though total halftime extended to 27 minutes and 27 seconds to accommodate stage setup and removal.
Madonna opened the show, performing her 1999 hit “Music” from inside the stadium tunnel before riding a dune buggy manned by two Brazilian football legends, Ronaldo Nazário and Ronaldinho, out onto the pitch. Madonna reminded the audience in her roller rink setup that “music makes the people come together.” International Business Times
Dudamel “conducted” The Muppets in their performance of “Seven Nation Army,” before BTS joined to sing “Dynamite,” one of the group’s biggest hits. Miss Piggy and Kermit looked deep into each other’s eyes as “Believe in Love,” seemingly a new song from Coldplay, was played by the band, with plenty of help from the PS22 Chorus, an elementary school group from Staten Island. TonyhugeThe Sunday Guardian
Ted Lasso then “subbed in” Bieber to sing “Everything Hallelujah,” a quieter ballad that he adjusted the lyrics to incorporate “World Cup.” Shakira and Burna Boy performed the official World Cup anthem, “Dai Dai,” surrounded by backup dancers, which added some energy before the show closed. Children, joined by Chris Martin and many of the performers, sang about “love” on the field to close the show. TonyhugeThe Sunday Guardian
The full confirmed setlist: “Music” by Madonna. “Seven Nation Army” by The Muppets featuring Gustavo Dudamel. “Dynamite” by BTS. “Everything Hallelujah” by Justin Bieber. “Dai Dai” by Shakira and Burna Boy. “Believe in Love” (new song) by Coldplay.
Wayne Rooney’s BBC Moment: The Verdict That Went Viral
The most memorable moment of the halftime show did not happen on the pitch. It happened in the BBC studio.
While working with the BBC Sport crew, Rooney was asked his favorite moment of the halftime show as the game between Argentina and Spain remained scoreless. He was quick to say, “I’ll be honest, when it finished.” “I like a lot of them artists, but I thought it was crap.” His response left his panelists speechless. Greenback Expat Tax Services
While standing alongside Gabby Logan, Micah Richards and Joe Hart, Rooney declared, “I like a lot of them artists,” before adding, “But I thought it was crap.” Several beats passed as the trio stood silently with shocked expressions, before Richards laughed and exclaimed, “So miserable!” Taxpayer Advocate Service
“I’ll tell you what else you get on the BBC: honest reviews,” Logan joked, as Richards started dancing and asked, “What about the ‘Macarena’?” as the 1993 song played in the background. Logan then speculated, “I think it was Bieber that kind of brought you down, wasn’t it? I think Bieber was a bit slow for you.” Taxpayer Advocate Service
Rooney doubled down: “I did, honestly. It just didn’t get me going. I like Bieber. I like Shakira. It was too flat.” Greenback Expat Tax Services
The clip went viral on X almost immediately, with BBC Sport posting the exchange and the video generating millions of views within hours.
The Critical Consensus: Bland but Logistically Impressive
The professional critics who reviewed the show landed in a narrower range than the public reaction suggested.
Time magazine’s review called the show “a bland, overstuffed circus,” noting that “the show as a whole was so blandly, sappily crowd-pleasing that few individual moments stood out as highlights. That focus-grouped vibe was, in all likelihood, precisely what the organizers were going for.” Free Press Journal
The New York Times review, while not directly accessible, was headlined “First World Cup Halftime Show: Lots of Stars, Little Purpose,” which captures the dominant critical position: the lineup was impressive on paper, the execution was technically competent, and the result was somehow less than the sum of its parts.
NPR noted that “the lineup, announced this past week, signaled a feel-good, family-friendly procession of fan favorites, and that’s exactly what the performers delivered. There wasn’t much of a throughline in the 11-minute spectacle, save for some broadly inspiring strokes: Togetherness! Unity! Love!” International Business Times
The structural problem identified by multiple reviewers is the same one Time named: overstuffing. Eleven minutes is enough time for one artist to build toward a moment. Distributed across six acts plus cameos, it is not enough for any individual performer to do anything memorable.
Fan Reactions: The Split Between Football and Pop Audiences
Many compared it favorably to the Super Bowl halftime show from Bad Bunny, saying it had more energy and was intelligible. That framing is the key to understanding the audience split: American viewers accustomed to Super Bowl halftime productions largely found the show competent and enjoyable. Football (soccer) fans worldwide, particularly those watching in countries with no halftime show tradition, found it intrusive, bizarre, and disconnected from the sport they were watching. Tonyhuge
On X, viewers noted that “soccer is not used to halftime spectacles. To many fans around the world, the whole thing was strange and out of place.” One X user who sided with Rooney wrote: “He said exactly what the whole nation thought. Well done, Wayne, a breath of fresh air throughout this tournament.” Another wrote simply: “Brilliant. It really was crap.” The Analyst
The Muppets performing “Seven Nation Army” was singled out by multiple commenters as the show’s most surreal and divisive segment, described variously as inspired absurdism and complete nonsense depending on the viewer’s relationship to Muppet content.
The Madonna Opening and Ronaldo-Ronaldinho Cameo
The choice to open with Madonna riding a dune buggy driven by two Brazilian footballing legends generated perhaps the show’s most discussed visual.
Madonna’s entrance from the tunnel produced genuine crowd noise. The combination of “Music,” the dune buggy, and Ronaldo and Ronaldinho riding along was either the show’s most magical thirty seconds or its most inexplicable, depending on how the viewer processed the image. The conductor Gustavo Dudamel led musicians from the New York Philharmonic and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, a detail that gave the show a classical music dimension unusual for this kind of pop spectacle. FOX Sports
ESPN’s performer ratings called Shakira’s “Dai Dai” with Burna Boy the show’s energy peak, noting she delivered vocally and the official World Cup anthem had grown on audiences throughout the tournament. ESPN docked Shakira points for “not wearing shoes for some reason” but called her “always a good addition to a major football tournament.” The Sunday Guardian
Justin Bieber: The Most Debated Segment
Of all the individual performer choices, Justin Bieber’s slot generated the most specific critical commentary.
Bieber performed “Everything Hallelujah,” a ballad with lyrical modifications referencing the World Cup. The mid-tempo, emotionally introspective song was a significant tonal shift from the upbeat energy of BTS’s “Dynamite” and the anthemic power of Shakira’s “Dai Dai.” Gabby Logan joked it was Bieber who “brought you down” when discussing Rooney’s reaction, calling him “a bit slow.” Rooney confirmed the assessment when he said the show was “too flat.” Yahoo Sports
The choice of “Everything Hallelujah” specifically, rather than any of Bieber’s more widely known upbeat catalog, puzzled viewers who expected the World Cup final to call for something more celebratory.
The FIFA Statement and the Global Citizen Charity Dimension
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said after the second half resumed: “We promised a truly spectacular and unifying FIFA World Cup Halftime Show, and together with Global Citizen, we delivered.” The show was produced in association with Global Citizen, with profits benefiting the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which aims to expand access to education and sports programs for children in underserved communities. Yahoo Sports
The inaugural show serves as a charitable effort with profits benefiting the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund. That charitable framing is worth noting because it shapes how FIFA will measure the show’s success: not purely by critical reception or social media reaction, but by its fundraising and awareness outcomes. Gulf News
Latest Update: Spain Won, Rooney’s Clip Still Trending
The World Cup halftime show 2026 review story is inseparable from the match result: Spain won the 2026 FIFA World Cup final against Argentina 1-0. Argentina’s bid to become the first repeat champion since Brazil in 1962 came up short. Messi played, struggled, and the result was decided in the second half. The halftime show that gave both squads a 27-minute break is, for many fans, the last thing they remember before the decisive goal. Taxpayer Advocate Service
For full coverage, follow The New York Times, The Independent, and People.
Broader Implications: Can the World Cup Halftime Show Become a Tradition?
The World Cup halftime show 2026 review period will ultimately inform whether FIFA attempts this again in 2030.
The Super Bowl halftime show took years to become a cultural institution. The first performances were forgettable. The format evolved, the budgets grew, the stakes increased, and eventually the halftime show became an event that some viewers watch specifically, separate from any interest in the football. FIFA is starting that journey from a different baseline: a sport whose global audience is twice the size of American football’s, with a fanbase that has no expectation of halftime entertainment and in many cases finds its presence actively disruptive.
The Rooney clip will be cited in every future discussion of this show. That a 40-year-old Manchester United legend with no particular beef with any of the performers said live on the BBC that it was “crap” and doubled down when pressed is the kind of authentic football fan reaction that no amount of FIFA PR can simply override.
For more World Cup 2026 coverage and entertainment news, visit The Tech Marketer.
What Happens Next
FIFA will assess the show’s charitable fundraising outcomes, viewership data, and global reaction before deciding on the format for 2030. Wayne Rooney’s clip will continue circulating. The debate over whether the World Cup needs a halftime show will continue through the international break and into the next qualifying cycle.
FAQ
Who performed at the 2026 World Cup halftime show?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup final halftime show featured Madonna, BTS, Justin Bieber, Shakira with Burna Boy, conductor Gustavo Dudamel leading The Muppets and musicians from the New York Philharmonic and Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra, Jason Sudeikis appearing in character as Ted Lasso, and Coldplay with a children’s choir closing the show. The show was curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin and produced in association with Global Citizen.
What was the setlist for the 2026 World Cup halftime show?
The confirmed setlist was “Music” by Madonna, “Seven Nation Army” by The Muppets featuring Gustavo Dudamel, “Dynamite” by BTS, “Everything Hallelujah” by Justin Bieber, “Dai Dai” by Shakira and Burna Boy, and “Believe in Love,” a new song performed by Coldplay. The show ran for 11 minutes of performance time, with total halftime extending to 27 minutes and 27 seconds to accommodate stage setup and removal.
What did Wayne Rooney say about the World Cup halftime show?
Wayne Rooney, serving as a BBC Sport analyst for the World Cup final, delivered the most quoted review of the show when asked his reaction live on air. “My favorite bit of the halftime show was when it finished,” Rooney said. “I like a lot of them artists, but I thought it was crap.” He doubled down when co-hosts laughed, saying it “just didn’t get me going” and describing it as “too flat.” Gabby Logan joked: “I’ll tell you what else you get on the BBC: honest reviews.”
How long was the 2026 World Cup halftime show?
The performance lasted 11 minutes, with the total halftime break extended to 27 minutes and 27 seconds to accommodate stage construction and removal. This compares to the traditional World Cup halftime break of approximately 15 minutes. Players from both Spain and Argentina waited on and near the pitch for the entirety of the break.
What happened in the 2026 World Cup final after the halftime show?
Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final on July 19, 2026, at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford. The score was 0-0 at halftime when the show took place. Spain’s winner came in the second half, preventing Argentina from becoming the first repeat champion since Brazil in 1962 and denying Lionel Messi a second World Cup title.
Sources and References
- The New York Times (original submission, blocked): https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/19/arts/music/world-cup-halftime-show-review.html
- The Independent (original submission, blocked): https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/news/halftime-show-2026-world-cup-madonna-bts-shakira-b3017910.html
- People / Wayne Rooney (original submission, blocked): https://people.com/soccer-legend-wayne-rooney-calls-star-studded-world-cup-halftime-show-crap-in-on-air-moment-12022272
