World Cup final halftime show squeezes Madonna, BTS, Bieber and Shakira into brief performances

The FIFA World Cup final halftime show lasted just over the scheduled 11 minutes, leaving each of the headline performers with roughly two minutes of airtime. The segment opened with a pre-recorded sequence that showed Madonna traveling in a jeep with former footballer Ronaldinho before she briefly performed "Music" on the field. After her brief appearance, conductor Gustavo Dudamel led a string ensemble that backed a Muppet band’s rendition of the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army."

K-pop group BTS performed a shortened version of "Dynamite" lasting about a minute and forty seconds, followed by a cameo from actor Jason Sudeikis as his TV character Ted Lasso, who introduced Justin Bieber for a solo acoustic rendition of "Everything Hallelujah."

Shakira, joined by Burna Boy, delivered a performance of the FIFA anthem "Dai Dai," after which the Muppets returned with the PS22 Chorus and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who curated the halftime show. The closing segment featured the Muppets and the chorus singing a brief medley that emphasized a message of love.

Earlier in the day, Post Malone performed three songs during the opening ceremony, and streamer ISHowSpeed performed his 2022 World Cup anthem. Jennifer Hudson sang the U.S. national anthem, while Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger and Laura Pausini performed the FIFA theme song "Desire."