Chris Martin Leads World Cup Final Half-Time Show Push — How Long Is Half Time In Soccer
World Cup rights holders are waiting for Fifa to spell out how long is half time in soccer for next month’s final, and the delay is already complicating ad sales. Commercial broadcasters need to know whether the first World Cup final half-time spectacle will fit a 12 to 15 minute musical production or stretch far beyond that.
Chris Martin and MetLife Stadium
Chris Martin curated the show, and the final at MetLife Stadium will feature Madonna, Shakira and BTS. It will be the first half-time spectacle at a World Cup final, which puts a new set of timing demands on the interval and on the people selling inventory around it.
One rights holder source said planning was based on a musical production lasting between 12 and 15 minutes, the same range as the Super Bowl’s half-time show. With stage setup and removal, that could push the break to between 25 and 30 minutes, well beyond the standard 15-minute interval set out in the laws of the game unless the referee permits otherwise.
24 Minutes at Club World Cup
The concern is not theoretical. At last year’s Club World Cup final at the same venue, the break in play lasted 24 minutes, and Martin made a surprise performance there as well. Rights holders have sent multiple requests for clarity and still have no answer on the final length, even as broadcasters try to lock in advertising inventory for the biggest match on the schedule.
Fifa has already expanded pre-match entertainment at this World Cup. Shakira and Burna Boy will headline the show before Mexico meet South Africa in the Azteca Stadium on Thursday, Alanis Morissette and Michael Bublé will lead the program in Toronto before Canada v Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday, and later on Friday Katy Perry, Lisa, Rema, Anitta and Future will perform in Los Angeles before the US meet Paraguay.
Broadcasters Need the Timing
That wider entertainment push does not solve the final’s central problem: commercial broadcasters still need the interval length pinned down before they can sell and place ads with any confidence. If the production lands at 12 to 15 minutes, it resembles a standard show; if the interval drifts toward 25 to 30 minutes, the commercial break changes shape for everyone building around the final.
For the rights holders, the practical issue is simple. They need a number, and until Fifa gives one, the final’s half-time remains a planning problem as much as a showpiece.
