Shakira and others perform at World Cup Soccer Final!
World Cup 2026 Half Time Show!
East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA Jul 19 (EFE).-
For the first time, FIFA turned the World Cup halftime show into a massive musical celebration in the style of the Super Bowl, with a performance lasting less than a quarter of an hour that brought together stars such as Shakira, Madonna, BTS, and Justin Bieber.
The halftime show, a long-standing tradition at major sporting events in the United States, is a first for the World Cup and required extending the halftime break in the final between Argentina and Spain beyond soccer’s usual 15 minutes.
In total, 27 minutes passed from the time the players left the field at the end of the first half until the second half began.
One of the moments that really got the crowd going was the performance of “Dai Dai,” the official World Cup song, by Shakira and Nigerian singer Burna Boy, who made the MetLife Stadium dance, as they were joined by the winners of the Dai Dai Challenge and the Ugandan group Ghetto Kids, known for their viral dance routines.
Also performing were Madonna, accompanied by Ronaldinho and Ronaldo Nazário as she took the stage, BTS, and Justin Bieber, who performed “Everything Hallelujah” solo on guitar.
On one side of the stage appeared Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, accompanied by the New York Philharmonic and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela.
In the stands were other stars such as Beyoncé, Dua Lipa, Rihanna, Timothée Chalamet, and Matt Damon.
Characters from “Sesame Street” and the PS22 youth choir also took part.
The show, which included fireworks, also served to promote the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative launched to finance education and sports access projects for children.
Before the match, the World Cup closing ceremony featured Post Malone alongside other figures such as Tom Cruise, Robbie Williams and Laura Pausini, and content creator IShowSpeed.
Additionally, Mario Kempes and Andrés Iniesta presented the trophy before the opening whistle.
Jennifer Hudson, winner of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards, also performed a special rendition of the US national anthem before the start of the match.
The production was organized by Global Citizen, in collaboration with Live Nation and Done + Dusted, and was under the artistic direction of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. EFE
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