World Cup last half-time change sparks fury as US ‘breaks football law’

FIFA have been accused of toying with the fabric of the sport by green-lighting an Americanised Half Time show akin to the US’ Super Bowl

FIFA officials have prompted ire from football fans around the world with the peak governing body of international football deciding to bin the game’s own laws in order to Americanise Monday’s final game with a Super Bowl-inspired Half Time show.

In addition to the World Cup final’s controversial half time performance – which will see the half-time interval stretched to a whopping 30 minutes during the final match – a star-studded pre-game show will now also take place.

The pre-game show will feature Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger, Robbie Williams and IShowSpeed, and, for some reason, a special appearance by Tom Cruise.

The likes of Justin Bieber and Shakira are set to be among the names performing in the glitzy show. The BBC and ITV were initially not going to broadcast the show, instead choosing to focus on the highlights and analysis from the opening 45 minutes of the clash at the MetLife Stadium in New York. For commercial networks, an 11-minute half time spectacle will cause headaches as they try to squeeze in ad breaks.

Under Law 7 of the IFAB Laws of the Game, the half time break must not exceed 15 minutes. However, FIFA officials have increasingly found loopholes within the governing body’s own protocols in recent years. Last year, the Organising Committee for the FIFA Club World Cup oversaw a 25-minute half time break.

That extended break made room for performances or the final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — the venue for Monday morning’s blockbuster — was headlined by global chart-toppers J Balvin, Doja Cat, and Tems.

That extended break made room for performances by global chart-toppers J Balvin, Doja Cat, and Tems, turning the deciding match between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium into a musical performance spectacular instead of just a football match.

It was a direct contradiction of a 2021 decision made by the International FA Board (IFAB) – the law-making body of football – which turned down a request from South American confederation CONMEBOL to extend the half-time break to 25 minutes. IFAB ruled on the basis the change would have a “negative impact on player welfare and safety resulting from a longer period of inactivity”.

This half time event looks certain to supersede the 15-minute limit dictated by the IFAB.

The pre-game show, which has been coined the “closing ceremony”, will see the American States national anthem sung by Jennifer Hudson. It is not tradition for the national anthem of the host country to be played before the final match in the World Cup tournament. However, another loophole has made shoehorning in the Star Spangled Banner possible, as the ‘closing ceremony’ is not officially part of the pre-game ceremonies in the minutes before kick-off, in which the national anthems of the opposing teams will play.

FIFA Chief Operating Officer of the tournament Heimo Schirgi said the closing ceremony will aim to celebrate the journey of all 48 teams that competed in this year’s tournament.

“Echoing the spirit of the opening ceremonies, which welcomed the world to the greatest stage in Canada, Mexico and the United States, the closing ceremony will bring the FIFA World Cup 2026 full circle through music, culture and football, before we kick off the highly anticipated match that will crown the champions of this groundbreaking tournament,” he said.

Meanwhile, a slew of football commentators have slammed the addition of an extended half time show which, they say, takes centre stage at the match’s expense.

The Telegraph wrote: “FIFA appears to be on a mission to Americanise football into soccer. The headliners are, and always should be, out on the pitch wearing shirts, shorts, socks and football boots and kicking a ball with the aim of scoring a goal.

“That is it. That is all that matters. If it was not the case, football would not be so popular. The rest is greed with football in danger of eating itself.”

Football journalist Seb Stafford-Bloor took to social media to vent how he felt about the Super Bowl-esque spectacle.

“A 30 minute half time show is obviously nonsense for all sorts of conditioning and legislative reasons, but in plain terms it’s yet another instance of the football coming second,” he wrote.

Former Southampton owner turned far-right MP for Great Yarmouth Rupert Lowe said: “A FIFA-enforced thirty minute half-time to accommodate some dreadful Super Bowl-style show in the World Cup final is truly an abomination.”

Fans also took to social media to hit back at the Fédération Internationale de Football Association. One user said in a response to FIFA’s star-studded pre-game show announcement: “FIFA forgot that this is football not a concert.”

A second added: “Forget the concept of a game with a side of celebrities, FIFA gonna make it Celebrities with a side of Soccer game.”

While a third chipped in with: “I feel sick, at least we know that we won’t see World Cup hosted in US for a long time.”