EAST RUTHERFORD, United States (AFP) – Musical headliners Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber, BTS and Coldplay were joined by Brazilian soccer icons and “Ted Lasso” actors in a spectacular first-ever World Cup final halftime show on Sunday.

The star-packed, Super Bowl-style extravaganza — a first for soccer’s showpiece event — also featured a tribute to football icon Pele, and a rendition of “Seven Nation Army” led by Gustavo Dudamel and featuring musicians from the US, Venezuela and Iran.

“Sesame Street” and “The Muppets” characters joined Coldplay and a New York elementary school choir to close out a performance designed to raise money for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which promotes access to sport for under-privileged children.

The 12-minute performance meant the total halftime break in the match between Spain and Argentina lasted 27 minutes.

Largest since Live Aid? 

Organisers had billed the halftime show as “the single largest gathering of artists united for a cause since Live Aid,” and “the most-watched 11 minutes of broadcast music performance in history”.

FIFA chief Gianni Infantino predicted “a couple of billion” people would tune in.

The extended interruption to soccer’s most important game had drawn some criticism over the potential impact on players’ performance.

While highly unusual for soccer, the show was slightly shorter than most recent Super Bowl halftime performances, which have typically been around 13-14 minutes long.

The crowd erupted with a roar as the show began with Madonna being transported through tunnels beneath the MetLife Stadium on a dune buggy driven by Brazil soccer legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.

Her performance of “Music” led to an orchestra featuring the New York Philharmonic, Venezuela’s Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra and Iranian violinist Bijan Mortazavi performing the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” — a rock hit that has become a global US soccer stadium staple.

Footage of the Norway fans’ “Viking row” celebration from this tournament led into K-pop sensation BTS performing their smash hit “Dynamite,” rewritten with soccer-specific lyrics, before “Ted Lasso” star Jason Sudeikis and his “Coach Beard” sidekick Brendan Hunt made a surprise appearance.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin