FIFA has added Canadian megastar Justin Bieber to the lineup of the first-ever halftime show at a World Cup final. Organizers confirmed that the entire musical performance will last 11 minutes.
Bieber will join Madonna, Shakira and K-pop phenomenon BTS at the Super Bowl-style halftime show on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, the show is a first for a football World Cup final. While football rules stipulate that halftime must not exceed 15 minutes, even an 11-minute performance may require additional time for stage setup and dismantling. Speculation that the show could run up to 25 minutes has been somewhat allayed by this announcement.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the halftime show would be 'absolutely the biggest stage ever' and is expected to be watched by 'a few billion' people.
Sesame Street and Muppets characters will also appear in the show. The performance will support FIFA's Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative aiming to raise $100 million for children worldwide during the World Cup.
Bieber said in a statement, 'The FIFA World Cup brings the world together like nothing else can. I'm grateful to be part of this halftime show, and knowing it's already helping to increase access to education for children around the world makes me even more grateful.'
With Wednesday's announcement, Nigerian singer Burna Boy and Venezuelan classical music conductor Gustavo Dudamel were also added to the lineup. Coldplay will collaborate with the acclaimed PS22 Chorus, a choir made up of students from a public elementary school in New York.
Hugh Evans, co-founder and CEO of anti-poverty campaign group and concert organizer Global Citizen, said, 'This could be the largest gathering of artists for a cause since Live Aid and the most-watched 11-minute music performance in history.'
The 11-minute World Cup final halftime show will be slightly shorter than recent Super Bowl halftime performances, which typically last 13-14 minutes. A halftime show was trialed at last year's FIFA Club World Cup final, also held at MetLife Stadium. That trial caused the break to extend to just over 24 minutes and was criticized for its potential impact on player performance.
