Noel Gallagher has taken aim at how long is half time at the 2026 World Cup final, criticizing the first planned Final Half Time show before a ball is even kicked. The Oasis guitarist said the performers are “not really football people,” while Chris Martin is curating the new addition to the tournament.
Gallagher was blunt on Talk Sport. Asked whether he had been invited to take part, he replied: “I’m doing the half-time raffle… for a leg of lamb.” He added: “I don’t like changes in football” and “I don’t like the razzmatazz of football; it’s been functioning perfectly for hundreds of years.”
Chris Martin’s 2026 Lineup
Martin has enlisted Madonna, Shakira, BTS and the Muppets for the 2026 show. Gallagher’s complaint was direct: “They’re not really football people who are performing anyway, are they?”
The plan marks a new layer for the World Cup final, and it is already drawing friction from one of Britain’s most recognizable football voices. Gallagher also said he had once been invited by the FA to get involved in an official England team song in the 1990s, alongside Ocean Colour Scene and Ian McCulloch.
England United and Three Lions
That project produced How Does It Feel To Be (On Top Of The World), credited to England United in 1998. The group included Ian McCulloch, Ocean Colour Scene, Space and the Spice Girls, but the song was swamped by Three Lions.
The contrast is what makes the 2026 show stand out: football’s biggest match is adding a curated entertainment slot, while Gallagher is arguing for the game to stay as it has been. The first World Cup Final Half Time show is scheduled for 2026, and the tournament will also have three opening ceremonies.
Mexico City, Canada, Los Angeles
One opening ceremony will take place at the opening game in Mexico City. A second will come at the first Canadian-hosted game on Friday, and a third is set for Saturday in Los Angeles.
Shakira, Burna Boy, Katy Perry, Tyla, Alanis Morissette, Future and Michael Buble will be among the artists involved in those opening ceremonies. For now, the bigger reaction around the new World Cup entertainment slot is Gallagher’s message: football does not need much dressing up.
