So, here we are, so far through the looking glass that we’re sitting down for dinner with the Mad Hatter, talking tactics with the Cheshire Cat and going through tournament predictions with the Queen of Hearts. A halftime show in the middle of a World Cup final – something so far removed from the origins of the sport that it feels delirious and almost unholy.
But that’s what football – yes, football – purists are going to have to deal with as this summer’s World Cup reaches its dramatic conclusion in New Jersey’s Meadowlands on July 19.
Global governing body FIFA confirmed Thursday that, for the first time, “football, music and social impact will come together as the greatest show on earth reaches its pinnacle,” introducing Shakira, BTS and Madonna as performers for a halftime show during the final that’s being curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and, wait for it, characters from The Muppets.
And if you’re worried you’ve slipped into some acid-induced fever dream with Alice and The Caterpillar, fear not. You’re not alone.
The announcement has been met with mixed reactions, to say the least. Some see this as a way of making the World Cup final more accessible, leveraging it to a wider audience and taking the sport’s biggest moment to a higher level.
