World Cup fans brand FIFA's first-ever halftime show a 'disaster' as Madonna and Bieber's bizarre spectacle divides billions

By EVE BUCKLAND, US SHOWBUSINESS DEPUTY EDITOR Published: 21:09, 19 July 2026 | Updated: 02:40, 20 July 2026 World Cup fans branded FIFA's controversial first-ever World Cup halftime show starring Madonna and Justin Bieber a 'disaster' on Sunday - as the spectacle divided viewers around the world. Argentina and Spain superstars Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal were forced to share the stage on Sunday at MetLife Stadium as the Super Bowl-inspired performance got underway - before Spain triumphed 1-0 over Argentina in extra time. The futuristic segment began with Madonna, 67, singing her 2000 hit Music, accompanied by giddy Brazilian World Cup legends Ronaldo Nazario and Ronaldinho.  The toned music legend was dressed head-to-toe in Saint Laurent, wowing in a pink satin teddy jacket and corset, mini shorts and lace-up boots, paired with stockings as she embraced the soccer icons, before they drove her out into the stadium. The unlikely trio then posed up on the grass and smiled at the crowds.  Bieber, 32, made a starkly different impact on the crowd as he stepped out with nothing but a guitar to sing a World Cup themed version of his song, Everything Hallelujah. The singer was bizarrely subbed onto the pitch by Jason Sudeikis, playing his manager alter-ego Ted Lasso.  Madonna and Justin Bieber's performances during the controversial first-ever FIFA World Cup halftime show divided fans on Sunday  Justin Bieber made a starkly different impact on the crowd as he stepped out with only a guitar to sing a World Cup-themed version of his song Everything Hallelujah - leaving fans baffled Shakira showed off her toned frame as she performed her hit Dai Dai with Burna Boy  The star looked relaxed as he casually walked onto the pitch before belting out his hit track, adding the final line, 'it's the World Cup, Hallelujah' - with fans left baffled by his song choice. One fan gave the damning verdict, 'What a disaster this halftime show was. Pre-recorded stuff, no collaborations or surprising moments. Where was Madonna at the end? She could have sung a few lines with Shakira... everything was so weird. So much hype for nothing.' Yet making clear the division, a second viewer wrote, 'I dislike a lot of things that FIFA does... but THAT halftime show was pretty spectacular.' Another wrote, 'Who was behind the concept for that haltfime show? Chat GPT?'  Other fans wrote, 'Madonna’s performance was the strangest thing ever, especially followed by the Muppets. The rest of the show was decent. I thought JB’s performance was the best of them all.' 'Light, bright, positive energy. We needed that. Really tired of dark and angry performances. 'It seemed like bieber was off the flow but when Shakira came up after - it all made sense!!!' 'It was great! International and diverse, a positive message, family friendly, and soccer legends hanging with Madonna! Ronaldinho and Ronaldo probably couldn't believe it!' Bieber's downbeat song choice was undoubtedly one of the major talking points of the performance, with one fan writing, 'Justin Bieber was unfortunately the worst part of the World Cup halftime show.' Another penned, 'Justin Bieber Hallelujah but this was not the right song choice for the half time show.' A third typed, 'Buzz killer. Totally sucked . Why choose that song that nobody knows . Beyond me ….' while another wrote, 'terrible song choice.' Others praised Bieber's performance, writing, 'Justin Bieber looked and sounded great at the World Cup halftime show today! 'Best performance. He knows how to switch people’s moods in a second. That’s extremely difficult to do, most performers couldn’t.' Shakira returned to the World Cup stage as she flaunted her toned abs in a pink and yellow sequined bodysuit to perform her hit Dai Dai, with Burna Boy, while K-pop sensations BTS regaled the crowd with Dynamite. Spain eventually triumphed over Argentina 1-0 after a thrilling 30 minutes of extra time - seen with Trump at the trophy ceremony The futuristic segment began with Madonna, 67, singing Music, accompanied by giddy World Cup legends Ronaldo Nazario and Ronaldinho  The toned music legend showed off her legs in stockings as she embraced the soccer icons, before they drove her out into the stadium The trio posed up on the pitch as Madonna pulled off another flawless performance The singer was bizarrely subbed onto the pitch by Jason Sudeikis playing manager Ted Lasso Fans had vastly differing opinions on the show - one viewer branded the show 'spectacular' Others blasted the show over pitchy vocals and lipsync allegations Fans slammed Bieber for his song choice on sport's biggest stage  One fan branded Bieber the 'worst part' of the show Others praised Bieber's performance as 'so good' and worthy of the Super Bowl K-pop sensations BTS regaled the crowd with Dynamite BTS captivated the crowds as they continued their return to the stage after military training  The show delivered a spectacular mix of music, nostalgia and global star power, including a cameo from The Muppets The stadium was lit up with a colorful globe and the world LOVE Fans had wildly differing opinions on the spectacular  Former England star Wayne Rooney savaged the controversial World Cup final halftime show, quipping the best part of it was 'when it finished' Liam Gallagher savaged 'This is like a bad trip', before adding: 'It's a good job I've got my spiritual socks on or that halftime entertainment could have tipped me over the edge'  The show was also blasted by former World Cup England star Wayne Rooney, 41, who joked his favorite part of the show was 'when it finished'. 'To be honest mine was when it finished I like a lot of those artists but to be honest I thought it was c**p', he fumed.  'I did honestly. It just didn't get me going, I wanted the football to be back on. It was a bit flat. I like Burna Boy I like Shakira I like Bieber but that was too flat.'  Fans were left in hysterics by Rooney's comment, with one user on X laughing: 'Wayne Rooney on the halftime show actually made me LOL and then 'I like a lot of the artists, but I thought it was c**p'. While Liam Gallagher savaged 'This is like a bad trip', before adding: 'It's a good job I've got my spiritual socks on or that halftime entertainment could have tipped me over the edge'. As well as a halftime show, the World Cup final also included a closing ceremony that featured performances and appearances from Post Malone, Tom Cruise, Nicole Scherzinger, influencer IShowSpeed, Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, Robbie Williams and Italian singer Laura Pausini. Stars including Cruise, Timothee Chalamet, Kylie Jenner, Matt Damon and Adrien Brody joined the crowds for the final.  Spanish actor Javier Bardem, skiing legend Lindsey Vonn and actress Julia Garner were also in attendance for the FIFA Gold Carpet event ahead of the final.  Tom Cruise flashed a giddy grin as he sauntered through the stadium ahead of his special appearance at the closing ceremony Matt Damon and Argentinian wife Luciana Barroso looked giddy as they arrived  Thousands of fans and media members faced massive lines to enter the stadium for the World Cup final on Sunday amid several reports of security struggling to manage the situation Will Ferrell was in attendance for the huge match  Javier Bardem supported his home country as he walked the FIFA Gold Carpet before the final Julia Garner was in attendance to support close pal Madonna ahead of her halftime show Lindsey Vonn looked stylish as she posed up ahead of the game Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazario attended with wife Celina Locks England icon John Terry and Argentina legend Diego Simeone were in attendance Spain triumphed over Messi's Argentina 1-0 - after a fraught second half which saw the teams play into 30 mins of extra time. Ferran Torres netted the winning goal in the 106th minute - with a devastated Messi watching on as his World Cup career ended in heartbreak. World Cup final day got off to a chaotic start at MetLife Stadium with fans forced to wait for hours outside of the venue amid reports of technological glitches scanning tickets and security staff unsure of how to manage the crowds. The attendance of President Donald Trump meant that airport-style security measures were also being enforced for everyone making their way inside of the venue. The game was set to be the most expensive to attend in the history of sport - on Sunday morning, the cheapest ticket available on most resale websites was starting at around $7,000. FIFA encouraged fans to arrive early in order to participate in the World Cup closing ceremony, scheduled to begin around 90 minutes before the game itself kicks off.  But it is standard procedure for fans to arrive early for additional security checks whenever Trump attends a sporting event - and he has made it to plenty in his second term as President, ranging from the Ryder Cup to the Super Bowl. Post Malone performed ahead of the final  Cruise kept his look casual in a black tee and jeans as he posed for selfies with queuing fans, while flanked by bodyguards The star looked excited ahead of the final  Jon Hamm arrived at MetLife ahead of the ceremony Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger and Laura Pausini performed Desire  Extra security checks were in place ahead of the attendance of President Trump for the game Man of the hour and Argentina captain Lionel Messi winked at fans as he arrived for the final - before his team heartbreakingly lost to Spain 1-0 Spain's Ferran Torres netted the winning goal in the 106th minute (top with Eric Garcia)  A devastated Messi was seen looking dejected after losing  Even on the live television coverage, the stadium was bare with a little over an hour until that closing ceremony began.  Soccer greats such as Brazil World Cup winner Ronaldo, former England captain John Terry and former Argentina player Diego Simeone all appeared carefree as they entered the stadium in good time before the game.  Argentina were narrow underdogs against Spain, the European champions, despite being the holders after winning the 2022 tournament in Qatar.  Your browser does not support iframes.