Chris Martin Curates MetLife Stadium Half-Time Length Unclear — World Cup Final Stadium

FIFA has not confirmed how long the half-time show will run at the world cup final stadium next month, and that delay is already frustrating World Cup TV rights holders. Commercial broadcasters need the timing to sell advertising inventory around a break that could run well beyond 15 minutes.

Chris Martin at MetLife Stadium

The half-time spectacle will be curated by Chris Martin, with Madonna, Shakira and the K-pop boyband BTS booked to perform at MetLife Stadium. It is the first half-time show at a World Cup final, and one rights holder source said they had been planning for a musical production lasting between 12 and 15 minutes.

Martin already tested the same venue last year, when he put in a surprise performance at the Club World Cup final and the break in play lasted 24 minutes. That run time is the number broadcasters are watching now, because the stage setup and removal could stretch this final’s interval to between 25 and 30 minutes.

Advertising Inventory and Timing

Rights holders have asked FIFA multiple times for clarity, but the requests have not produced a length for the show. The laws of the game state that players are entitled to an interval at half-time, not exceeding 15 minutes, and it may be altered only with the referee’s permission.

FIFA has already increased the amount of pre-match entertainment at this World Cup to meet expectations in the American market, with opening ceremonies planned for the first games in each host country. Shakira and Burna Boy will headline the pre-match show before Mexico meet South Africa in the Azteca Stadium on Thursday, Alanis Morissette and Michael Bublé will lead the event before Canada face Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto on Friday, and Katy Perry, Lisa, Rema, Anitta and Future will perform in Los Angeles before the US meet Paraguay later in the day.

For broadcasters, the issue is simple: the halftime clock affects when ads run, and FIFA’s silence leaves them guessing. The final at MetLife Stadium now carries the added problem of an unplanned interval, while the show itself remains one of the most watched parts of the night.