Muppets, Ted Lasso crash FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show

The set kicked off with a (potentially, partially, pre-recorded) segment from Madonna, who performed her 2000 hit “Music” with an interpolation of her new song “Danceteria.” Once she took the field, Animal, Floyd, and Janice (but, unfortunately, no Dr. Teeth) help lead the crowd in the riff from “Seven Nation Army.” Then, K-pop group BTS arrives to perform their song “Dynamite,” which gives way to an appearance from Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso. Ted wants to hear something more soulful, and apparently that means Bieber. And of course, Shakira, the de facto musical face of the World Cup, closed out the set with her latest World Cup anthem, “Dai Dai,” with Burna Boy and the dance group Ghetto Kids. 

But wait, there’s more Muppets: Miss Piggy and Kermit (and, what the hell, sure, the Count from Sesame Street) take the field to perform “We Dance” with Coldplay and a children’s choir. The vuvuzela, another longstanding World Cup icon, also makes an appearance, and one of the children in the choir appears so excited they jump out of their shoe. All in all, it’s a pretty sweet display. Hopefully the Muppets have their passports in order for the 2030 tournament in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.