An 11-minute Super Bowl-style show featuring Madonna, Shakira and BTS will punctuate an extended half-time break of up to 25 minutes during Sunday's World Cup final at New York New Jersey Stadium.
The half-time interval, which under Ifab laws should not exceed 15 minutes, is expected to last between 20 and 25 minutes, with sources within Fifa suggesting the break will be around 20 minutes. One option considered was to have the normal 15-minute break followed by the planned 11-minute show.
“World Cup final half-time extended to 25 minutes for Madonna, Shakira, BTS show; English referees Oliver and Taylor banned due to conflict-of-interest rules.”
Last year's Club World Cup final, also in New Jersey, lasted 24 minutes due to a performance by Coldplay, J Balvin, Doja Cat, Tems and Emmanuel Kelly. Justin Bieber was added to the bill for Sunday, alongside Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel and the PS22 Chorus featuring Coldplay, with singer Chris Martin having curated the show.
The long half-time is not the only talking point ahead of the final. Premier League referees Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor, despite strong performances earlier in the tournament, have been banned from officiating the match. Under standard Fifa regulations, referees are prohibited from taking charge of matches involving their home country. With England reaching the semi-finals, both Oliver and Taylor were automatically disqualified from any match featuring England. Furthermore, they were also ruled out of the other semi-final between France and Spain, as the winner would face either England or Argentina in the final – a direct impact on their home nation.
The closing ceremony, starting at 13:30 local time (18:30 BST) before the 15:00 kick-off, will feature Tom Cruise, Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger, Robbie Williams and IShowSpeed. Jennifer Hudson is to sing the US national anthem. Spain have already qualified for the final after beating France 2-0 in the first semi-final in Dallas on Tuesday, and await the winner of Wednesday's semi-final between England and Argentina in Atlanta (20:00 BST).
The extended half-time and absence of English officials add further layers to a final that already pits two footballing giants against each other – though which giants remain to be seen.