World Cup TV rights holders are growing increasingly frustrated at Fifa’s failure to confirm the length of the half-time show at next month’s final.
Madonna, Shakira and the K-pop boyband BTS have been booked to perform at the MetLife Stadium in the first half-time spectacle at a World Cup final, curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, who put in a surprise performance at last year’s Club World Cup final at the same venue when the break in play lasted 24 minutes.
Sources at several World Cup rights holders told the Guardian that multiple requests to Fifa for clarity on the length of half-time had gone unanswered, which is causing problems for commercial broadcasters in particular because their advertising teams have inventory to sell.
One rights holder source said they were planning on the musical production lasting between 12 and 15 minutes, which is the average length of the Super Bowl’s half-time show, but with the additional time required to set up and remove the stage there are concerns the interval could stretch between 25 and 30 minutes. The laws of the game overseen by the International Football Association Board state that “players are entitled to an interval at half-time, not exceeding 15 minutes, and it may be altered only with the referee’s permission”.
Fifa declined to confirm the length of half-time, with one source describing the situation as fluid.
The governing body has significantly increased the amount of pre-match entertainment on offer at this World Cup in a nod to the expectations of the American market in particular.
The first games in each of the host countries will all feature opening ceremonies, with Shakira and Burna Boy headlining an extensive pre-match show before Mexico meet South Africa in the Azteca Stadium on Thursday that will also feature Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, Maná and Tyla.
Alanis Morissette and Michael Bublé headline the show in Toronto before Canada v Bosnia and Herzegovina on Fridaytomorrow and later in the day Katy Perry, Lisa, the Nigerian Afrobeats star Rema, the Brazilian pop artist Anitta and the hip-hop artist Future will perform in Los Angeles before the US meet Paraguay.
