For the first time in its history, the final will feature a half-time show, which runs to 11 minutes of the allotted 15-minute break. Broadcasters, however, expect the total half-time break to potentially run to 30 minutes, a violation of FIFA’s own rules.
FOR THOSE OF US NOT QUITE GETTING IT: THE POINT IS NOT R E A L L Y ABOUT W H O IS CURATING OR PERFORMING, IT IS ABOUT THE #MUGWANK I D E A OF A FOOTBALL WORLD CUP FINAL HALF TIME SHOW… IF YOU NOW UNDERSTAND MY ‘AAAAAAAGH!’ A BIT BETTER, BUT STILL DON’T AGREE, PLEASE ADJUST YOUR RED CAP, YOUR ‘I 🖤 JANNY + DONNY + $$$’ TSHIRT AND… KNOCK YOURSELF OUT? ONWARDS… RSX PS. “Infantosser has said he and US president Trumpton will small hand over trophy on Sunday”. SADLY, THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH A’S LEFT FOR THE ‘ARGH’ THAT SHOULD FOLLOW… #breadandcircuses #pleasejustf–koff #f–kfifa #justlookup.”
Smith is a longtime fan of west London team Queens Park Rangers. On Wednesday (July 17), England crashed out of the tournament following a 2-1 defeat to Argentina, with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger caught on camera expressing his disappointment.
Robbie Williams is set to team up with Italian pop star Laura Pausini to perform their official FIFA anthem Desire on the pitch at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 19 July.
A source told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: “Robbie loves football and is excited to play at this momentous gig.
“Of course, he hopes England will be one of the teams in the final.”
The World Cup Final will feature a halftime show, the first in the history of the tournament and the line-up has been put together by Chris Martin.
The Coldplay frontman has recruited Madonna, Shakira and BTS to sing during the break in the game, but one person who isn't impressed by the idea is Oasis rocker Noel Gallagher.
Noel - who is a die-hard Manchester City fan - insisted football has been "functioning perfectly for hundreds of years", so he doesn't see the point of a concert.
He also doesn't class the artists playing as "football people".
Asked if he will be joining in, Noel quipped on talkSPORT: “I’m doing the half-time raffle for a leg of lamb.”
He expanded: “I don’t like changes in football. I’m looking forward to these new rules about corners and time-wasting, that might be a good thing for the game, but I don’t like the razzmatazz of football; it’s been functioning perfectly for hundreds of years.”
Noel added of the artists playing: “They’re not really football people who are performing anyway, are they?”
In an announcement video for the line-up, Chris was joined by beloved Sesame Street duo Elmo and Cookie Monster, as well as The Muppets legends Kermit The Frog and Miss Piggy.
After the Viva La Vida singer caught a football, Elmo quipped that the game isn't played "with your hands".
✨JBalvin y 💥Shakira retumban en la inauguración del mundial! 💥desde México! ⚽️Una fiesta completa desde el 🏟️Estadio Ciudad de México 🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/0Pe0r43uYT
— Raul Gutierrez🇲🇽 (@raulgtzoficial) June 11, 2026
