With the FIFA World Cup back in the U.S. for the first time since 1994, it seems that the tournament is taking a page out of the Super Bowl’s book. In a move that looks suspiciously like someone got their footballs confused, the 2026 final on July 19 will feature a first-ever halftime show.
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin is curating the concert. He added Madonna, Shakira, and K-pop group BTS to the lineup, with input from, apparently, The Muppets. The tournament kicks off on June 13, with matches held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Brazil and Morocco will face off in that first match.
However, this new halftime show business has left some diehard football fans feeling a little sour. For example, devoted Manchester City fan Noel Gallagher. Speaking with British radio show talkSport on June 10, the Oasis guitarist shared his disdain for this new flashiness.
“I don’t like changes in football,” he said. “I like these new rules about corners and time-wasting, that might be a good thing for the game, but I don’t like the razzmatazz of football.”
Noel Gallagher Joins Many Other Football Fans Who Dislike the World Cup Halftime Show
Noel Gallagher expounded on his dislike of the new halftime show at the World Cup, and he’s not alone. There’s somewhat of a cultural divide taking place here. The World Cup is a deeply European institution, with essential cultural importance formed around the sport itself. Football is to Europe as hockey is to Canada, to oversimplify things.
So, taking the World Cup and adding a deeply American element like a halftime show is sending some fans into a tizzy.
“It’s been functioning perfectly for hundreds of years,” said Noel Gallagher. “Now there’s going to be a half-time show.”
An analysis for CNN by sportswriter Ben Church reinforced the sanctity of football as more than just a sporting event. It’s a pilgrimage, a ritual, a community builder. So, for the football purists, a halftime show is putting entertainment where they believe it doesn’t belong. But for the U.S., sports and entertainment go hand in hand.
Noel Gallagher seems to be one of those football purists. But it’s not a recent development, and it’s not just about the halftime show. He also rejected the fanfare of the World Cup back in 1998, when he was asked to perform on England’s World Cup song “(How Does It Feel To Be) On Top of the World?”
“I think it was an England thing back in the ’90s,” he told talkSport. “Ocean Colour Scene were involved, and Ian McCulloch. I’m not sure what the tune was, it got swamped by [unofficial English football anthem] ‘Three Lions’ anyway.” He added, “It’s not something I would write.”
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