Fifa is set to extend half-time in Sunday's World Cup final to nearly 30 minutes — more than double the 15 minutes allowed by the laws of the game — to accommodate an 11-minute Super Bowl-style show co-headlined by Madonna, Shakira and K-pop band BTS.
The decision, confirmed by a Fifa spokesman who said the show will be "broadcast live to millions of fans around the world", comes just weeks after the International Football Association Board (Ifab), the sport's law-making body, explicitly rejected a request from South American confederation Conmebol to extend half-time to 25 minutes on grounds of "negative impact on player welfare and safety resulting from a longer period of inactivity".
“Fifa plans 30-minute half-time in World Cup final, defying the 15-minute rule, for a Super Bowl-style show.”
Sources within Fifa had suggested the break would be around 20 minutes, but the Mirror reports the interval is now expected to last a full 30 minutes — a move that has infuriated England supporters ahead of their semi-final against Argentina on Wednesday night.
"Thirty minutes for half time is a joke," said Fil Sollof, a 61-year-old Three Lions superfan. "How can Fifa change the rules of the game just like that? It's 15 minutes for half-time — it's the same for all football games all over the world. I doubt people would mind if it happened to go a minute or two over. But this isn't on. It's a disgrace."
The governing body has form: half-time of last year's Club World Cup final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, held at the same New York New Jersey Stadium, stretched to 25 minutes for a performance featuring Coldplay, J Balvin and Doja Cat.
Sunday's show has been curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and also features Justin Bieber, Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel and the PS22 Chorus, with Coldplay themselves performing. The closing ceremony, starting at 13:30 local time (18:30 BST), will include appearances by Tom Cruise, Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger and Robbie Williams, while Jennifer Hudson will sing the United States' national anthem.
The final, which kicks off at 15:00 local time (20:00 BST), will see Spain take on either England or Argentina. Spain booked their place with a 2-0 win over France in Dallas on Tuesday. England face defending champions Argentina in Atlanta, with a place in their first final since 1966 at stake — and a half-time break that could test the patience of even the most devoted supporter.
