Trump, Bieber and Shakira: a World Cup final like never before — and England were watching from home

The 2026 World Cup final may not be remembered as a great football match, but it will absolutely be remembered. Spain beat Argentina after extra time at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to lift the trophy for the second time, sixteen years after their 2010 triumph. Around the pitch, FIFA delivered something the sport has never seen: the longest half-time in football history, featuring Madonna, Justin Bieber and Shakira, a pre-kick-off speech from Tom Cruise, an appearance by US president Donald Trump, and fireworks. Lots of fireworks — in broad daylight.

The longest half-time in football history

The interval at this final was the longest ever staged in an official football match. Instead of the standard 15 minutes, FIFA turned the break into a full concert, with Madonna, Justin Bieber and Shakira performing on a stage built and dismantled at the centre of the MetLife Stadium pitch.

The template is the Super Bowl, American sport’s biggest entertainment product. With the tournament hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, FIFA’s intent was obvious: the final is now a global television property first and a football match second.

Coaching staffs are less enthusiastic. An extended break cools muscles, disrupts competitive rhythm and raises injury risk on the restart — concerns European medical teams raised long before kick-off.

Tom Cruise, Donald Trump and fireworks in broad daylight

Before kick-off, Hollywood A-lister Tom Cruise delivered a speech on the pitch and US president Donald Trump watched from the stands at MetLife Stadium. In a World Cup staged on American soil, the final doubled as a political occasion.

The fireworks — set off while the sun was still high — captured the evening perfectly: a spectacle engineered for broadcast cameras rather than the 80,000 people actually in the ground.

It leaves a genuine question ahead of 2030: how much bigger can the show get before it smothers the sport it claims to celebrate?

Spain win a second World Cup as Argentina’s reign ends

Spain dominated Argentina and won in extra time to claim their second World Cup, following their 2010 success in South Africa. It confirms the cycle that began with Euro 2024 and a generation built on technical control and squad depth.

For Argentina, it is the end of a reign. Champions in Qatar in 2022, they became the latest holders to fall short of back-to-back titles — a feat nobody has managed since Brazil in 1962.

The football itself was not a classic. That is the strange paradox of the night: everything around the match was enormous, while the match stayed modest.

What it means for England

Watching Spain lift the trophy stings for England supporters, who arrived at this tournament with genuine expectation and left without the final they have been chasing since 1966. Sixty years on, the wait continues.

The uncomfortable lesson is in Spain’s method rather than their talent. Spain win because there is a recognisable playing identity running from youth level to the senior squad, with players coached in the same technical principles from adolescence. England’s pathway produces individual quality; Spain’s produces a team.

Euro 2028, hosted by the UK and Ireland, is the next real target. The squad will still be in its prime — the question is whether the structure around it changes.

FAQ