FIFA went against their promise of a shortened World Cup half-time show with Spain and Argentina’s players forced to spend extra time in the dressing room.
In response to concerns that the World Cup half-time show could last for 30 minutes, FIFA contacted the Spanish and Argentinian football associations this week to confirm that the half-time break would last a total of 17 minutes, six of which would be dedicated to the assembly and dismantling of the stage, while the show itself would be reduced into an 11-minute block.
However, from the half-time whistle to the start of the second half, the entire World Cup half-time break at the MetLife Stadium lasted 27 minutes and 22 seconds, far beyond FIFA’s promise to Spain and Argentina.
In a first ever for a World Cup final, the Super Bowl-style show featured Madonna, Justin Bieber, Shakira, Burna Boy and K-pop boyband BTS.
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Brazil World Cup winners Ronaldo and Ronaldinho also made a surprise appearance during Madonna’s opening song.
However, the extended show breached the maximum time of 15 minutes for a half-time interview, which is permitted under the International FA Board’s (IFAB) Laws of the Game.
In last year’s Club World Cup final where Chelsea beat Paris Saint-Germain at the MetLife Stadium, FIFA’s half-time show lasted 24 minutes following performances from Coldplay, J Balvin, Doja Cat, Tems and Emmanuel Kelly.
In 2021, CONMEBOL, the governing body of football in South America, wanted to extend the maximum half-time length to 25 minutes but that was rejected by IFAB due to the ‘negative impact on player welfare and safety resulting from a longer period of inactivity’.
Then in 2024, CONMEBOL produced a half-time show for the Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia, which lasted around 25 minutes.
‘I think the half-time for the final should be 15 minutes because those are the rules,’ Colombia head coach Nestor Lorenzo said before his side’s 1-0 defeat to Argentina in the final.
‘But now apparently, because there’s going to be a concert, we’ll be walking back out 20 to 25 minutes later. This could affect the players’ fitness, they could cool down too much. Those minutes of recovery in the dressing room… people don’t understand what it takes to reach those levels.’
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