Madonna will light up the World Cup final. But FIFA is breaking rules for the show
Ben Rumsby
Half-time at the World Cup final can last up to half an hour, thanks to FIFA’s controversial Super Bowl-style interval.
The BBC and ITV are bracing themselves for a 30-minute break to provide an 11-minute “halftime show” alongside the usual 15 minutes of mid-game analysis.
The rules of the game prohibit an interruption in any match lasting more than 15 minutes, but FIFA had already flouted those rules with an interval lasting up to 25 minutes at last year’s Club World Cup.
Broadcasters expect it to last even longer as the governing body wants to create a World Cup final halftime show to rival what the Super Bowl has long been famous for. This could make the final the longest ever edition of the flagship fixture.
There are already three-minute hydration breaks in each half, which many suspect is a Trojan horse for additional commercials.
PS22 Chorus, featuring Madonna, Justin Bieber, Shakira, BTS, Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel and Coldplay, will perform at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
Before kick-off at 05:00 on Monday morning, there will be a closing ceremony that will start 90 minutes before and will be attended by names such as Robbie Williams, Tom Cruise and Nicole Scherzinger.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB), the law-making body of the sport, rejected the proposal of the South American confederation CONMEBOL to extend the maximum half time to 25 minutes in 2021.
The IFAB noted the “negative impact of prolonged inactivity on player welfare and safety.”
Despite this, CONMEBOL staged a Shakira concert that lasted this long at the 2024 Copa America final in Miami.
This led to a complaint from Colombia head coach Nestor Lorenzo, who was penalized in the same tournament for his team returning from half-time a minute late.
FIFA has been approached for comment.
Telegraph, London
