The first-ever half-time show at a FIFA World Cup final, staged during the Spain vs Argentina match at New York New Jersey Stadium, has drawn near-universal criticism for being confusing, dull, and wholly disconnected from football.

A painful build-up before a kick-off

Before a ball was kicked, attendees — including media, stadium workers, and volunteers — endured waits of up to three hours in sweltering heat to clear enhanced security checks put in place ahead of President Trump's presence at the game. By most accounts, that ordeal proved more engaging than the entertainment that followed at half-time.

Madonna, Shakira, Burna Boy, BTS, and Bieber

Madonna opened proceedings but spent most of her set performing beneath the stadium, emerging pitchside only late in her closing song, Music, flanked by Brazilian legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. The moment felt closer to a film cameo than a live spectacle, and she departed with little more than a bow.

Shakira and Burna Boy then performed Dai Dai, the official World Cup anthem — a track that sounds precisely as a FIFA-commissioned song might be expected to sound. K-pop group BTS followed with their hit Dynamite, which at least had energy.

Justin Bieber then took the stage — introduced through a Ted Lasso tie-in — and performed his acoustic track Everything Hallelujah, tweaking the lyrics to include a World Cup reference. The gesture did little to lift a song widely described as slow and monotonous. His slot in the penalty area during the performance, it was noted, exceeded the number of touches Lionel Messi managed in the first half.

Who was it for?

A clip of Pele — from his New York Cosmos era — was played on the big screen, accompanied by children on the pitch spelling out the word LOVE with flags. The only genuine crowd participation came when Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes was played, performed in this instance by The Muppets.

The production bore no resemblance to the polished Super Bowl half-time shows it was being compared to beforehand. Those events have become cultural moments in their own right; this felt, by contrast, like a disjointed fever dream that raised one persistent question: who was it actually for?

A wider problem

The World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico has been a genuine success by most measures — but critics argue that success has come despite FIFA's decisions, not because of them. Hydration breaks, dynamic ticket pricing, political interference, and now a bloated half-time show have all attracted significant pushback from supporters who simply want the game to breathe.

The show also had a practical consequence for the players: footballers have built careers around a 15-minute interval, and a prolonged half-time risks cooling muscles and raising injury risk when play resumes. On the grandest stage of all, that is an oversight that deserves scrutiny.