A Wren Says

The 2026 FIFA World Cup concluded yesterday, with Spain has victors. This year’s expanded 48 team format led to some truly excited games throughout the tournament. More teams was a good thing. However, the other ways they tried to expand the offering? Not so much.

This year, as a nod to the fanfare around U.S. based sporting events, FIFA chose to include a half-time performance. Change is always hard, so people were instantly against it. Worldwide fans are used to a 15 minute halftime break before they get straight in to the action. This year, they had to wait closer to 30 minutes, on par with how the Superbowl does it. Here’s the thing. It just didn’t seem worth it.

It seemed like the organizing committee went into planning with out a clear vision or eye to the needs of the event. The event opened with Madonna, who is no longer a popular artist. Followed by BTS performing a years old hit. And was that the Muppets before we saw Justin Bieber singing a slow ballad?I will say Shakira, who performs the theme song of the tournament, was the best part. But as a fan, I feel like my time was wasted.

If FIFA chooses to go down this route for future tournaments, they need to think more about relevancy of the act. Current artists, performing high energy hits. That is what the halftime performance is all about. But truthfully, I hope they let this go. FIFA, just because America does it doesn’t mean it’s better. You already have the most watched sporting event around the world. Focus on make the on-field, in-game improvements. Your product is the beautiful game. Grow the game and the fans will watch.