The halftime slot was curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who made a surprise appearance at last night's final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain

ColdplayDoja CatJ Balvin, and Tems headlined the FIFA Club World Cup final halftime show last night (July 13) – watch footage of the performance below.

Sunday’s final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain saw a surprise performance from Coldplay on the MetLife Stadium’s upper stands, on a stage crafted by frontman Chris Martin and Global Citizen.

Placing the stage in the stands was done to avoid damaging the freshly planted grass on the field, and also had the benefit of avoiding the timing changeover issues that made Shakira’s 2024 performance at the Copa America final so divisive.

The 15-minute set opened with J Balvin’s ‘Mi Gente’, which saw him joined by dancers and drummers, and was followed by Tems’ ‘Love Me JeJe’ before Balvin returned to deliver ‘Reggaeton’.

Doja Cat then performed 2021 track ‘Woman’, with Coldplay closing out the set with a surprise appearance. Martin, joined by singer-songwriter Emmanuel Kelly, performed “A Sky Full of Stars’ joined by all the performers of the evening in a rousing finale.

 

 

Organisers have shared aims that this July’s crowning of the first official FIFA club world champion will reach the largest global audience ever for a club football competition, with the show supporting the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.

The initiative looks to raise $100million to provide children around the world with access to quality education as well as football, with one dollar from every ticket sold for FIFA Club World Cup matches in the US this summer to be donated to the fund.

“This show will be unforgettable,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino previously. “Not just for its spectacle on a landmark night, but also for the lasting impact it will make.”

As for Coldplay’s own charity efforts, their upcoming UK stadium shows – which include a record-breaking 10-night run at Wembley – will see 10 per cent of the band’s profits going to the Music Venue Trust.

The charity have been campaigning for a mandatory levy for £1 of every ticket sold to a gig at arena level and above to go back into the grassroots, at a time when the scene faces “disaster” with around two venues closing per week in the UK. “The band’s support really will stop venues closing, make tours happen and bring the joy of live music to thousands of people,” said MVT CEO Mark Davyd.

When sitting down with NME last year ahead of the release of ‘Moon Music‘, Martin discussed the importance of live venues and how they helped shape the band. “Playing live is an important connection,” he said. “It doesn’t bother me that there might not be another Coldplay, but it does bother me that there might not be acts that are free to start on the bottom rung and work all the way up – so that by the time they get to stadiums, they are really good.”

50 Cent is happy to get a little shout-out from Taylor Swift. On Friday, hours after Swift released The Life of a Showgirl, the rapper shared his excitement over the pop queen mentioning his name on “Ruin the Friendship,” Track Six on her new album.

“@taylorswift shit is popping right now, she shout me out, she don’t shout you out,” 50 Cent wrote on Instagram alongside the LP’s cover. “LOL THIS IS FOR BIG TIMERS ONLY!”

He added: “Wait I’m the only shout out on the whole album.”

On the song, Swift looks back on a teenage romance and the regret of not kissing someone despite knowing it would’ve been worth the risk. “And it was not an invitation/But as the 50 Cеnt song played/Should’ve kissed you anyway,” she sings on the track looking back at prom night. “And it was not convenient, no/Would’ve been the best mistake/Should’ve kissed you anyway, hey.”

While Swift has not explained the meaning or inspiration behind the song “Ruin the Friendship,” fans have speculated that the track is about Jeffrey Lang, whom Swift has spoken about being close to while they went to Hendersonville High School. Lang died at age 21 in November 2010.

“Yesterday, I sang at the funeral of one of my best friends,” she said at the 2010 BMI Country Music Awards shortly after his death. “And he was 21, and I used to play my songs for him first. So I would like to thank Jeff Lang.”

50 Cent isn’t actually the only shout-out on the album, however. Elsewhere on the record, “Elizabeth Taylor” is titled after the glamorous Hollywood icon of the 1950s, Swift mentions Spanish soccer team Real Madrid on “Wi$h Li$t,” and the star seemingly dedicated an entire song to Charli XCX, titled “Actually Romantic.”

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