mocked

The first ever FIFA World Cup halftime show attracted a mixed reaction from sports fans – with Wayne Rooney declaring the best part was when it ended, despite Madonna, Justin Bieber and more taking part

The 2026 FIFA World Cup final halftime show has been brutally panned despite including performances from the biggest names in music. On Sunday night, Argentina faced off against Spain to fight for the official World Cup trophy, which was delivered to the pitch at the beginning of the match inside a Louis Vuitton case.

But the footballers were not the only major stars to appear on the pitch as a host of big names lined up to perform during the halftime interval. Anticipation was high as the musicians prepared to take centre stage in the first halftime show of its kind in the FIFA tournament’s history.

Pop music legend Madonna kicked off the celebrations with a lively performance of her 2000 single Music – weaving in elements of her recent hit, Bring Your Love. While Bring Your Love duet partner Sabrina Carpenter was nowhere to be seen during her performance, Madge had other major stars at her side to give her appearance an extra punch.

She sat in a pink jeep with Brazilian football legends Ronaldo and Ronaldinho at the wheel as they drove into the stadium and took a bow after the chart superstar repeated her infectious chorus, “Music brings the people together.” Cameras then cut to members of The Muppets on stage performing an instrumental version of the White Stripes’ classic song “Seven Nation Army,” with help from Gustavo Dudamel.

Korean pop kings BTS then took over the spectacle, belting out their song Dynamite – before cameras cut to Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt in character as Ted Lasso and Coach Beard. The duo then introduced Canadian pop prince Justin Bieber, who took to the field to strum out his single, EVERYTHING HALLELUJAH.

As the halftime show continued, Shakira took to the centre of the stage alongside Burna Boy and an army of backing dancers to belt out Dai Dai – the official song of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This was then followed by Coldplay and PS22 Chorus, who sang the uplifting track We Believe in Love – before all the performers and dancers took their final bow.

While no one can dispute that the halftime show was packed with major stars, some felt that the show was a disjointed mess – and they made their feelings very clear.

Wayne Rooney was among those to put the boot in. Asked what his favourite part of the show was, he deadpanned: “Mine was when it finished.”

He added: “I like a lot of those artists but I thought it was crap. I did, honestly, it just didn’t get me going, I wanted the football to come back on.” He later explained that he believed Justin Bieber’s performance was “flat”. He fumed: “I liked Burna Boy, I like Bieber, I like Shakira, but that was too flat.”

Liam Gallagher also shared his thoughts, wading in to praise Justin Bieber for his performance of Everything Hallelujah – but hinted he didn’t fully enjoy it. While he said Justin “rules”, he added: “This is like a bad trip… It’s a good job I’ve got my spiritual socks on or that halftime entertainment could have tipped me over the edge.”

However, many fans were thrilled by the halftime show, with one on X, formerly known as Twitter, remarking that the entrance of Madonna alongside Ronaldo and Ronaldinho was “Iconic”.

There was more music before kickoff, with a fun-filled closing ceremony show. IShowSpeed took to the stage to sing their song, Champions. And Post Malone thrilled fans with a trio of hits; Chrome Heartbreaker, Wow., and the song Sunflower – featuring Swae Lee.

As the kick-off grew closer, Jennifer Hudson appeared to give a powerful performance of the United States National Anthem, the Star-Spangled Banner, while Spanish Brass performed La Marcha Real and Maria Becerra belted out the Argentinian national anthem. And amid all the celebrations, there was even time for Robbie Williams to join Laura Pausini and Nicole Scherzinger to sing the Fifa song, Desire.

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A UK city that is often overlooked and at the centre of brutal jokes could welcome back a beloved lido following concerns over open-water deaths amid the balmy heatwaves

A UK city that has often been ridiculed is planning to restore its mega lido after it was demolished almost 40 years ago.

For countless years, Hull has been the subject of mockery, partly due to its previous reputation as one of the ‘UK’s worst places to live’ and its sharp industrial decline in the fishing and shipping industries. Even those who have never visited the East Yorkshire city find themselves going along with the unfair narrative, despite its significant progress.

Today, the city, officially called Kingston upon Hull, boasts lively independent bars, restaurants, art galleries, and hidden gems dotted along the waterside, as well as the mega amphitheatre Stage@TheDock. It’s also home to one of the ‘UK’s best wildlife attractions’, The Deep, a colossal aquarium with more than 3,500 marine animals. It has ahistoric quarter, the Old Town, with cobbled lanes, medieval architecture and museums.

Proving just how far it’s come as a city, Hull was named as one of the ‘best places in the world to travel to in 2026’ by National Geographic, and was the only UK destination to make the acclaimed list. And there’s much more to come from the city, with proposed plans to welcome back its once thriving lido.

During the summer months, the open-air swimming pool in East Park, which opened in 1964, was a haven for locals looking for a refreshing dip. But after 24 years, the lido closed in 1985 and was demolished in 1988.

While East Park maintains a children’s water play area, an Animal Education Centre, the Pavilion Cafe, a boat house, play areas and an outdoor gym today, its former lido is still yearned for. Even more so now, in the hope of providing another safe, outdoor swimming environment after tragic events unfolded during the UK’s recent hot weather, which has seen at least 18 people die in open water.

Now, the local council in Hull has agreed to look into the prospect of restoring the former lido in East Park. According to the BBC, Councillor Jessica Smith said: “As the weather gets warmer, we see the same tragic stories repeated year after year. Open water is unforgiving; it doesn’t matter how confident you are, it doesn’t matter how fit you are.”

The proposal, put forward by Jessica during Drowning Prevention Week, has been supported by Councillor Kalvin Neal, who noted that it might need to be relocated. “Although it is something that could be looked at, potentially that isn’t the best place, it could be somewhere else that might be better,” he commented.

It would undoubtedly be a welcome addition back to Hull, with the city’s only council-run lido located at Albert Avenue Pools and Fitness. This outdoor heated swimming pool, which was opened in 2023 after a £10.5 million refurbishment, is available to use from May to September, and has proven to be a huge success in the city.

On swimming safety, Cllr Jessica previously commented: “As local councillors we have a duty to do our best to provide safe swimming facilities and adequate education to our young people,” as reported by Hull Live.

“In a city surrounded by water and home to many lakes, drains and other bodies of water, this is a crucial issue for our communities this summer.” Councillor George Grozav is seconding the proposal. “Every death in open water is a tragedy, and far too many of these incidents involve children and young people.”

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