Pop star Justin Bieber joins historic 11-minute World Cup final halftime show lineup
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Pop star Justin Bieber joins historic 11-minute World Cup final halftime show lineup")
Justin Bieber joins historic 11-minute World Cup final halftime show lineup Photograph: (Others)
Pop superstar Justin Bieber joins Madonna, Shakira, and BTS for a historic 11-minute halftime show at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final in New Jersey.
Pop singer Justin Bieber has joined a star-packed lineup of the first-ever World Cup final halftime show as organisers confirmed on Wednesday (Jul 9) that the entire musical performance would last 11 minutes. Canadian singer Bieber will join Madonna, Shakira and K-pop sensation BTS for the mid-show during the FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday (Jul 19).
Coldplay’s lead singer, Chris Martin, is curating the historic performance, which has already raised concerns over how long the halftime break will be. Although the laws of the game allow a 15-minute halftime interval, even an 11-minute musical performance would require the break to be extended, given the time likely needed to set up and dismantle the stage.
However, the announcement will assuage concerns raised by speculation that the World Cup final halftime show itself could stretch for as long as 25 minutes.
Earlier, the FIFA chief Gianni Infantino said that the halftime show will be "definitely the biggest stage ever," with "a couple of billion" fans worldwide expected to tune in during that window. The show, which will also feature characters from "Sesame Street" and "The Muppets," will support FIFA's Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative working to raise $100 million for children worldwide during the ongoing World Cup in North America.
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Justin Bieber joins historic 11-minute World Cup final halftime show lineup Photograph: (Others)
"The FIFA World Cup brings the world together in a way nothing else can," Bieber said in a statement. "I'm grateful to be part of this halftime show, and even more grateful knowing it's already helping expand access to education for children around the world," added the "Stay" and "Love Yourself" hitmaker.
Also added to the lineup in Wednesday's announcement were Nigerian singer-songwriter Burna Boy and Venezuelan classical conductor Gustavo Dudamel.
Coldplay will feature in a collaboration with PS22 Chorus, an acclaimed choir of students from a New York public elementary school.
"This is the single largest gathering of artists united for a cause since Live Aid, and it could well be the most-watched 11 minutes of broadcast music performance in history," said Hugh Evans, co-founder and CEO of anti-poverty campaign group and concert organiser Global Citizen.
Shorter Than a Super Bowl
Meanwhile, an 11-minute World Cup final halftime show would be slightly shorter than most recent Super Bowl halftime performances, which have typically been around 13-14 minutes long.
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A halftime show was trialled at last year's FIFA Club World Cup final, also at MetLife Stadium. It stretched the entire break to just over 24 minutes, drawing some criticism over the potential impact on players' performance.
