Rarely does a major sporting event in the United States take place without a lot of music. The Super Bowl has a halftime performance, as do most Thanksgiving Day games, among others. The World Cup final, which will be held in July, will also have a special halftime show.
This one will feature Madonna, Shakira, and K-Pop icons, BTS. In response to that news, Michael Che, one of the two, along with Colin Jost, hosts of Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live, had a quick quip about the musical artists involved.
Che said near the midway part of Weekend Update, "FIFA announced that this year's World Cup final will have a halftime show featuring Madonna, Shakira, and BTS, which is being described as something for everyone to dislike."
Saturday Night Live pokes fun at World Cup final halftime show
The World Cup final will be held on Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The move to have a music-filled halftime show will be the first at the event. One might need to wait four years to see whether FIFA makes the same decision to include music at the final's halftime.
Otherwise, the logical reason for having one in the United States is that FIFA feels Americans need a bit more entertainment than just the game. Maybe blame the NFL if that is true. Many have gotten used to going to a game, but also seeing a concert break out midway through.
Including Shakira makes sense, as she, in a collaboration with Burna Boy, has created the official 2026 World Cup song, "Dai Dai." The Colombian icon also had the official World Cup song in 2010, "Wake, Waka (This Time for Africa." In other words, she is no stranger to the tournament.
What is clear is that FIFA definitely tried to get artists who are beloved globally. What might have been better would have been to have Bruce Springsteen involved somehow, since the final is held in New Jersey, but maybe he wasn't available.
Still, despite what Michael Che thinks (and, to be fair, there might be a lot of people who agree with his joke), the halftime show will fit a lot of popular acts into only 11 minutes. That is how long the program should last. With a singular musical act, that timeframe is difficult, but with three, it sounds impossible. That likely means there will be overlapping songs.
Hopefully, the performance is fun, and it's promising. Now, let's just hope many Americans tune in for the football, too.
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