The 2026 World Cup Final Halftime Show was an 11-minute event filled with various influential musical appearances, from Madonna to Shakira. While musically sound and beautifully put together, for many viewers, this halftime show failed to hit the mark.
The biggest and most glaring critique viewers had for this event was how disconnected it felt from the significance of this year’s World Cup and from the culture of the host nation. For many, this halftime show seemed curated to be as inoffensive as possible while trying to retain a message surrounding unity and world peace, while being incredibly disjointed.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough, especially since the glaring political instability within the United States and the Trump administration’s meddling with the World Cup and its players. Oftentimes, people forget how important sporting events are on the political side of things. These events are some of the most watched globally and can reach a variety of groups from different backgrounds. A halftime show event is a great opportunity to showcase a particular message, and the 2026 World Cup would have made an amazing stage for a very poignant halftime show.
That is one of the reasons why many point towards Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny’s halftime shows at the Super Bowl. Those shows were very particular about their messaging, shining a global spotlight on the cultures while interweaving engaging sociopolitical commentary within their performances.
The executives in charge of these events can’t expect the public to be fine with lackluster performances, especially in events as influential as the World Cup.
