FIFA World Cup Final 2026 halftime show: Post Malone closing ceremony, Justin Bieber, Madonna and Shakira set to perform
Football fans got quite the show during the FIFA World Cup final on Monday – and we’re not talking about the game.Legends (and The Muppets) were part of a star-studded line-up at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, but not everyone was impressed by the tournament’s first-ever halftime show.AdvertisementFormer English football player Wayne Rooney, 40, slammed it as “crap” during a BBC broadcast.“I’ll be honest, mine was when it finished,” Rooney said of his favourite moment.“I like a lot of them artists but I thought it was crap.“It just didn’t get me going and I wanted the football to come back on. I like Burna Boy, I like Bieber, I like Shakira, but that was too flat.”The frank assessment led his co-host Micah Richards to label him “miserable”.The highly anticipated half-time show began with the Queen of Pop herself, Madonna, singing, “Music makes the people come together” – a lot like sport. Get it?!AdvertisementShe was joined by legends of football, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, in a pink ... buggy?Madonna then handed over to The Muppets (yes, actual muppets) performing the White Stripes′ truly iconic Seven Nation Army riff and the Norwegian row chant.AdvertisementAdvertisementK-pop stars BTS followed with their banger, Dynamite, in chic, matching red outfits which got the crowd off its feet.The United States’ foremost soccer expert, Ted Lasso (that’s Jason Sudeikis, in character as Ted Lasso) and co-star Brendan Hunt gave a characteristically inspiring speech to introduce Justin Bieber.Bieber, in his first performance since his “Bieberchella” takeover of the famed festival in April, brought the feels with an acoustic performance of Everything Hallelujah.Advertisement“It’s the World Cup hallelujah,” he sang, a nod to the event that got the crowd cheering.Not quite as much as Shakira and Burna Boy, however, who brought the tempo back up with this year’s World Cup song Dai Dai.They were joined by a very impressive group of dancing children, who made way for even more children.AdvertisementAdvertisementOh, and The Muppets, again.The event came to a close with Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Cookie Monster, Elmo and the children of the Staten Island Elementary School Chorus and the New York Philharmonic.AdvertisementThe entertainment kicked off before the game with Post Malone as he hit the stage for the closing ceremony and delivered an electric performance and even pulled a surprise guest on stage.The 31-year-old hitmaker was joined by Swae Lee at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey as they performed the song Sunflower.Malone opened with his hit Chrome Heartbreaker, before leading into his 2018 song Wow for his three-song performance.AdvertisementAdvertisementHe rocked a classic Canadian tuxedo for the gig, wearing a denim jacket and matching denim pants, paired with a T-shirt that read “Just hope both teams have fun”.His look was finished with a classic cowboy hat.Malone wasn’t the only big name to hit the stage early.AdvertisementSuperstar Jennifer Hudson belted out the national anthem pre-game, delivering a stellar performance.Dressed in all white, she was a vision as she belted it out.But fans are in luck, with more entertainment around the corner with a star-studded halftime show coming.Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira, BTS and Coldplay are all set to perform during the halftime break of the match.
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