FIFA Considers Extended Halftime for World Cup Final

It was already known that the FIFA World Cup final in the United States would be a grand spectacle. A star-studded lineup of the world's biggest artists is set to entertain the audience. Madonna, Justin Bieber, Shakira, BTS, Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel, and Coldplay have been enlisted to perform during halftime of the football match at the stadium in New York/New Jersey.

While FIFA has not yet confirmed the plan, it is widely expected to proceed. Following American tradition, similar to the Super Bowl in the NFL, the halftime show is anticipated to last eleven minutes. This fits precisely within the usual fifteen-minute halftime break, though it's worth noting that commercial breaks and match analysis also need to be accommodated.

This leads to the idea of extending the standard 15-minute break by at least 11 minutes for the show, potentially stretching the intermission to half an hour. In England, the BBC and ITV are already preparing their programming around the World Cup final. On Sunday, July 19th, the match kicks off at 9:00 PM Dutch time. An hour and a half before kick-off, a closing ceremony is also planned, featuring major artists such as Robbie Williams, Tom Cruise, and Nicole Scherzinger. As with the opening ceremony, the teams will take to the field for their usual warm-up after the performances.

Although regulations state that halftime should not exceed 15 minutes, FIFA demonstrated last year that they are not strictly bound by this rule. During the Club World Cup, also held in the United States, a halftime period lasted a remarkable 25 minutes. The World Cup final will be contested between Spain and the winner of the England - Argentina match.