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FIFA is targeting half-time during the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium to last no longer than 20 minutes.
Coldplay’s Chris Martin has curated a line-up that includes Justin Bieber, Shakira, BTS, Madonna, Burna Boy, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel and PS22 Chorus. Characters from Sesame Street and The Muppets will also be part of the show.
FIFA has previously said the performance will be 11 minutes long and described it as a “landmark celebration at the intersection of sport, music and global impact.”
World football’s governing body, however, is yet to reveal the total length of half-time during the final, although multiple sources have told The Athletic they are targeting it to last around 20 minutes.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB), the game’s lawmakers, states, per its rulebook, that half-time should not exceed 15 minutes and that the interval “may be altered only with the referee’s permission.”
Even though this will be the first time FIFA has held a half-time show at the World Cup, it did have one during last summer’s Club World Cup final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, which was also staged at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
That performance included Tems, J Balvin and Doja Cat, and took place on a stage high up in the stands, lasting just over 24 minutes.
A key difference for the World Cup final, however, is that the show will take place on the pitch, meaning a stage will need to be erected and collapsed before and after the performance.
In the Copa America final two years ago, a tournament organised by the South American body Conmebol, Shakira performed during half-time at Hard Rock Stadium, with Argentina and Colombia waiting around 26 minutes before the second half got underway.
The Super Bowl, which is synonymous with a half-time show, regularly sees the NFL players spending between 20 to 30 minutes off the field. During the regular season, an NFL game interval lasts a strict 13 minutes.
