For the first time ever, FIFA is putting on a Super Bowl-style halftime show for the World Cup Final. On Thursday, we learned which global icons would star in the performance.
The show, curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, will be headlined by the Queen of Pop, Madonna, Shakira, who recently released this summer’s World Cup anthem, and Korean supergroup BTS.
Martin announced the headliners alongside The Muppets of Sesame Street, who seem to be taking center stage this World Cup.
An elaborate halftime show is a first for the World Cup. Traditionally, soccer halftimes are quite short, about 15 minutes in lengthy. No doubt, a show featuring Madonna, Shakira, and BTS will extend halftime by quite a bit, which will be an adjustment for the participating teams.
The Super Bowl goes through a similarly extended halftime each year. It’s certainly fitting to have the first similar halftime show in soccer take place in the United States.
Whether the delay will be popular with fans is another story. The Super Bowl halftime show is typically when the television audience hits its peak as non-football fans tune in to watch the spectacle. Given there’s no tradition of similar shows for the World Cup, fans might respond differently to delaying the match.
Regardless, FIFA couldn’t have asked for three bigger acts to headline the show. And even if it upsets traditionalists, it’ll likely go over well online and generate a ton of engagement. That’s what we’re all after these days anyway, right?
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.