New York (AFP) – Justin Bieber has been added to the star-packed lineup of the first-ever World Cup final halftime show as organizers confirmed Wednesday that the entire musical performance will last 11 minutes. Canadian megastar Bieber joins Madonna, Shakira, and K-pop sensation BTS for the Super Bowl-style halftime show on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Coldplay’s Chris Martin is curating the extravaganza, a first for a football World Cup final and one that has raised concerns over how long the game’s halftime break will be. The laws of football allow a halftime interval “not exceeding 15 minutes.” Even an 11-minute musical performance could still require the break to be extended, given the time likely required to set up and disassemble the show.
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But the announcement will assuage concerns raised by previous speculation that the World Cup final halftime show itself could stretch for as long as 25 minutes. FIFA chief Gianni Infantino has said the halftime show will be “definitely the biggest stage ever,” with “a couple of billion” expected to tune in.
The show, which will also feature characters from “Sesame Street” and “The Muppets,” will support FIFA’s Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative working to raise $100 million for children worldwide during the World Cup. “The FIFA World Cup brings the world together in a way nothing else can,” Bieber said in a statement.
“I’m grateful to be part of this halftime show, and even more grateful knowing it’s already helping expand access to education for children around the world,” added the “Stay” and “Love Yourself” hitmaker. Also added to the lineup in Wednesday’s announcement were Nigerian singer-songwriter Burna Boy and Venezuelan classical conductor Gustavo Dudamel.
Coldplay will feature in a collaboration with PS22 Chorus, an acclaimed choir of students from a New York public elementary school. “This is the single largest gathering of artists united for a cause since Live Aid, and it could well be the most-watched 11 minutes of broadcast music performance in history,” said Hugh Evans, co-founder and CEO of anti-poverty campaign group and concert organizer Global Citizen.
At 11 minutes, the World Cup final halftime show would be slightly shorter than most recent Super Bowl halftime performances, which have typically been around 13-14 minutes long. A halftime show was trialed at last year’s FIFA Club World Cup final, also at MetLife Stadium. It stretched the entire break to just over 24 minutes, drawing some criticism over the potential impact on players’ performance.
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