{"id":7755,"date":"2026-07-18T10:05:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T10:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=7755"},"modified":"2026-07-18T10:05:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T10:05:08","slug":"the-world-cup-halftime-shows-goals-go-fast-and-keep-off-the-grass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=7755","title":{"rendered":"The World Cup halftime show\u2019s goals: Go fast and keep off the grass"},"content":{"rendered":"

No one\u2019s more particular about turf than international soccer stars, and organizers of the midgame production said they considered several ways to pull off the performance without gouging the surface.<\/strong><\/p>

Read more Energized voters could be key to Democratic victories in midterms, poll finds<\/a><\/p>\n

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Justin Bieber, Shakira, BTS and Madonna are expected to be among the performers during halftime of the World Cup final Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Matt Slocum\/AP)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

NEW YORK \u2014 Sometime around 4 p.m. Sunday, a team of performers, producers and stagehands will hustle from the bowels of New Jersey\u2019s MetLife Stadium to set up for the first-ever World Cup halftime show. <\/b><\/p>\n

Billions are expected to watch across the globe, potentially one of the most-viewed live musical performances ever, curated by Coldplay\u2019s Chris Martin for Global Citizen, an organization that puts on large-scale concerts to assist in anti-poverty goals.<\/p>\n

But the producers and performers \u2014 <\/b>including Justin Bieber, Shakira, BTS, Madonna and possibly a very famous puppet pig <\/b>\u2014 will operate, mostly, with two guiding principles: Go fast, and keep off the grass.<\/p>\n

Everything about the 2026 World Cup tournament has been bigger<\/a>: More teams, more distance traveled, longer games thanks to those pesky hydration\/commercial breaks. Perhaps nothing will set it apart like a first-of-its-kind halftime show at Sunday\u2019s final.<\/p>\n

But producers insist it will be designed at all costs to protect the match itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the get-go, it was declared: We\u2019re not a Super Bowl halftime show,\u201d said production designer Bruce Rodgers, who\u2019s sharing the design load with Misty Buckley. \u201cWe don\u2019t have time for 40 carts. Our field won\u2019t support that kind of weight and that kind of impact on the turf.\u201d<\/p>\n

No one\u2019s more particular about turf than international soccer stars. FIFA spent years and millions of dollars navigating the challenges of getting perfect natural turf into 16 venues across the continent<\/a>, adjusting for weather, altitude and other factors to ensure the ball rolls or bounces how it\u2019s supposed to. <\/b>Protecting that was paramount.<\/p>\n

Organizers said they considered several ways to pull off the performance without gouging the precious turf. Maybe the artists could take a journey around New York? Or what if, like in the beginning of Rihanna\u2019s Super Bowl performance, the stage hovered above the ground?<\/p>\n

After meeting with FIFA\u2019s field experts, the production team landed on something less audacious: building some kind of pitch cover, made from polyester material and spanning more than 7,000 square meters, which will also help establish the show\u2019s theme of using soccer as a tool for bringing people together across the planet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t give too much away about the pitch top,\u201d Buckley said, \u201cbut I think everybody across the globe will see themselves reflected in it in some way.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pitch cover isn\u2019t the only safeguard. <\/b>The crew will also use lightweight gear, including cameras that \u201ctravel across the pitch without making any indentations in the grass,\u201d executive producer Guy Carrington said. Buckley also hinted that the halftime show wouldn\u2019t be centered around a typical, three-dimensional stage.<\/p>\n

All of which should help producers and their crew clear their other logistical hurdle: Keeping the concert short.<\/p>

Read more Trump wants to impose tariffs on Canada in retaliation for wildfire smoke<\/a><\/p>\n

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The Super Bowl’s halftime, which this year included a performance from Bad Bunny, usually lasts about 25 minutes. FIFA is reportedly targeting a total break of 20 minutes for the World Cup final. (Vera Nieuwenhuis\/AP)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

The typical NFL halftime is around 13 minutes. For the Super Bowl, that break gets extended to over 25 minutes to make time for sprawling performances like Bad Bunny\u2019s in February<\/a>. But a short halftime is sacred in soccer, and the International Football Association Board\u2019s rule book says halftime breaks should run under 15 minutes.<\/p>\n

The Athletic reported this week<\/a> that FIFA is targeting a total break of 20 minutes, which is allowed only with the referee\u2019s permission, according to the IFAB rule book.<\/p>\n

All told, the entire process for the halftime performance \u2014 from the moment the operating staff rush out of Tunnel C to the moment the field is clear again \u2014 is expected to last just 11 minutes, according to production designers and producers.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a tight window, especially because it requires some of the biggest stars in the world to participate in what is, according to several people, a seriously communal effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome artists can sing one song in 11 minutes,\u201d laughed Global Citizen co-founder Hugh Evans.<\/p>\n

Thanks to FIFA\u2019s rules around stadium branding<\/a>, there isn\u2019t a sponsor of the halftime show. Understanding that, Live Nation, <\/b>one of the halftime show\u2019s promoters, <\/b>hasn\u2019t asked for \u201ca <\/i>single brand, a single logo,\u201d according to Evans.<\/p>\n

Nor should fans expect any political messages. IFAB forbids political messaging on the field, a rule that seemingly extends to the halftime show.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t the place for that,\u201d Carrington said. \u201cThis is just about a moment where people come together.\u201d<\/p>\n

(One exception could arrive at the end of the game: President Donald Trump is expected to present<\/a> the trophy to the winning team.)<\/p>\n

Carrington brushed off criticisms that the halftime show was designed to help American viewers relate to the event. And when it comes to questions about what Sunday might look like, organizers remain especially tight-lipped.<\/p>\n

But Buckley and Rodgers mentioned that one particularly infamous hog could steal the show. \u201cWe have Madonna, Shakira and Miss Piggy,\u201d Rodgers said. \u201cWhat else could you ask for?\u201d<\/p>

Read more Trump urges Sen. Darline Graham to run for full term<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

No one\u2019s more particular about turf than international soccer stars, and organizers of the midgame production said they considered several ways to pull off the performance without gouging the surface.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7752,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nThe World Cup halftime show\u2019s goals: Go fast and keep off the grass - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=7755\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The World Cup halftime show\u2019s goals: Go fast and keep off the grass - 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