Madonna opens historic FIFA World Cup final halftime show with 'Music'

Dubai: Madonna opens with a blast of nostalgia.

Madonna kicked off the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show with "Music," her 2000 hit whose own chorus, "music makes the people come together," made it an almost inevitable choice for a stage built entirely around uniting a global audience. For longtime fans, it's the kind of opener that lands as pure nostalgia, a callback to peak 2000s Madonna on one of the biggest stages of her career.

She followed it by moving into "Seven Nation Army," folding the White Stripes' instantly recognisable riff into her set, a song that's become something of a football anthem in its own right over the past two decades thanks to its use in stadium chants worldwide. Pairing it with "Music" makes for a shrewd bit of programming, tying her own catalogue directly into football culture rather than performing in spite of it.

Madonna's slot is part of an 11-minute show curated by Coldplay's Chris Martin, produced in partnership with Global Citizen, Live Nation and Done + Dusted. She's sharing the stage with Shakira, Justin Bieber and BTS, alongside appearances from Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel and New York's PS22 Chorus performing with Coldplay. It's the first time a World Cup final has featured a dedicated halftime show of this scale, breaking from nearly a century of tradition at the tournament.

The performance also supports the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative aiming to raise $100 million to expand access to education and football for children worldwide.

This marks Madonna's first World Cup appearance, though not her first major halftime stage. She previously headlined the Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show back in 2012, delivering one of that event's most-watched performances. Landing the World Cup slot over a decade later adds another chapter to a career built on reinventing herself for whatever stage she's handed.

Fans inside the stadium were each given a flag carrying a handwritten note from Coldplay's Chris Martin, who curated the entire show: "Thank you for being a vital part of the first-ever FIFA World Cup 2026 The Final Halftime Show. With love, Chris Martin Coldplay."

The football itself remains locked at 0-0 heading into the second half. Spain dominated the opening 45 minutes with 64 percent possession and several clear chances, including efforts from Mikel Oyarzabal and Marc Cucurella, but Argentina's defence and Emiliano Martinez held firm. Argentina did pick up an injury concern late in the first half, with Lisandro Martinez forced off and replaced by Nicolas Otamendi after picking up a yellow card.