Spain v Argentina, players, teams, half-time show, games, fixtures, results
America does it the American way. First they were given hydration breaks, now they have an 11-minute halftime show and a 30-minute midgame break to wrap up the Super Bowl, the world’s biggest sporting event.
For all the controversy, there are precedents: at the 2024 Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia in Miami, Shakira performed during the 25-minute halftime break, and at last year’s Club World Cup final between Chelsea and PSG, she played the same length with Coldplay, J Balvin, Doja Cat and Tems in a hilariously empty MetLife stadium (people still need to pee). PSG had already conceded three goals long before then, so it wasn’t Coldplay’s fault.
Coldplay is again at the helm here; Chris Martin curates a cast that includes Madonna, BTS, Justin Bieber, conductor Gustavo Dudamel and a choir of elementary school children. We’ll also see an encore performance of the World Cup anthem Dai Dai by Shakira and Burna Boy, who sang the song at the opening ceremony, which feels like nine months ago.
The 30-minute interruption could be distracting for players looking to get back on the field (I can just imagine Marc Cucurella tearing his hair out in the locker room). For the rest of us, enjoy your extremely long bathroom break.
