World Cup 2026: Half-time for final to last up to 25 minutes
Halftime in Sunday’s World Cup final is expected to last 20 to 25 minutes.
An 11-minute Super Bowl-style show co-directed by Madonna, Shakira and K-pop boy band BTS will meanwhile take place at New York’s New Jersey Stadium.
Sources at World Cup organizers FIFA have suggested the break will be around 20 minutes, while one option is understood to be the normal 15-minute half-time, followed by a planned 11-minute showcase.
The laws of the game governed by Ifab (International Football Association Board) state that players are entitled to a half-time break “not exceeding 15 minutes”.
The halftime of last year’s Club World Cup final, also organized by Fifa and held in New Jersey, lasted a total of 24 minutes with the performances of Coldplay, J Balvin, Doja Cat, Tems and Emmanuel Kelly.
Justin Bieber was added to the bill last week for Sunday’s performance; This performance features the PS22 Chorus featuring headliners Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel and Coldplay, and the show was curated by singer Chris Martin.
The World Cup final will kick off at 15:00 local time (20:00 BST) with the closing ceremony at 13:30 local time (18:30 BST).
As part of the ceremony, Tom Cruise, Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger, Robbie Williams and IShowSpeed will perform, and Jennifer Hudson will sing the national anthem of the USA.
Spain advanced to the final by beating France 2-0 in the first semi-final played in Dallas on Tuesday.
They will face either England or Argentina, who play in Atlanta on Wednesday (20:00 BST).
