Soccer-Madonna, BTS and Bieber bring star power to World Cup halftime show

By Rosalba O'Brien and Lisa Richwine

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey, July 19 (Reuters) - Superstars Madonna, BTS, Justin Bieber and Shakira offered a high-energy musical medley ‌on Sunday in the first halftime show at a World Cup final.

Madonna ‌kicked off the Super Bowl-style show, one of several American elements added to this year's tournament, with a ​performance of her 2000 hit single "Music." Wearing a pink corset and sporty jacket, she emerged from the tunnels of New York New Jersey Stadium via a dune buggy driven by Brazilian football greats Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.

"Music, makes the people, come together," she sang.

The spotlight moved ‌to renowned Venezuelan conductor Gustavo ⁠Dudamel, who led an orchestra of musicians from New York and Venezuela, plus The Muppets band Electric Mayhem and their wild drummer ⁠Animal, in a rendition of the White Stripes song "Seven Nation Army."

K-pop band BTS, clad in black-and-red outfits, followed with the upbeat "Dynamite." American actors Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt, in character ​as coaches ​from TV show "Ted Lasso," introduced Bieber as ​a mid-show substitution.

"Go out there, don't ‌be nervous, nobody's watching," Sudeikis said to the singer.

Bieber slowed the tempo with the acoustic "Everything Hallelujah," changing the song's final words to “World Cup Hallelujah.”

Colombian singer Shakira and Nigeria's Burna Boy joined for “Dai Dai,” the official song of the 2026 World Cup. Shakira shimmered in a sequined pink-and-yellow outfit that complemented a multi-colored carpet underneath. The show ended ‌with the word "LOVE" splashed across the field, with ​an image of the Earth representing the letter ​O.

Ahead of the match, the halftime ​show drew criticism for deviating from the traditional 15-minute interval. International ‌Laws of the Game say players ​are entitled to a ​halftime interval "not exceeding 15 minutes." Tournament regulations, however, mention a 15-minute break but do not say it cannot exceed that time.

The musical performances lasted 11 minutes, ​but the entire break extended ‌to around 27 minutes as workers moved equipment to and from the ​pitch.

(Reporting by Rosalba O'Brien in East Rutherford, New Jersey and Lisa Richwine ​in Los Angeles; editing by Ed Osmond)