Rooney Criticizes World Cup Halftime Show During BBC Broadcast

The first-ever halftime show at the FIFA World Cup Men’s Final featured a high-profile lineup of global music stars, but it failed to impress former England captain Wayne Rooney. Serving as an analyst for the BBC’s coverage, Rooney offered a blunt assessment of the 11-minute performance, describing it as “crap” during the live broadcast.

The spectacle was curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin and included appearances by Shakira, Madonna, BTS, Justin Bieber, and Burna Boy. The production also incorporated Brazil legends Ronaldo Nazário and Ronaldinho, the New York Philharmonic, and The Muppets. Despite the scale of the collaboration, Rooney’s reaction highlighted a divide between the elaborate entertainment production and traditionalist soccer viewers.

Fox Corporation, whose Fox Sports division provided extensive coverage and highlights of the event on its platforms, is closely tied to the presentation of major international soccer tournaments. As of mid-day trading, Fox Corporation shares are up 2.8%, sitting at $57.62 with a market capitalization of approximately $23.47 billion. The company operates within the Communication Services sector and the Entertainment industry, deriving significant value from the licensing and broadcasting of sports content.

During the BBC segment, presenter Gabby Logan joked with Rooney about his candor, suggesting that Justin Bieber’s slower tempo might have been the source of his dissatisfaction. The set list ranged from Madonna’s “Music” to BTS’s “Dynamite,” concluding with a new track from Coldplay.

What to watch

• Future broadcast ratings for World Cup-related content across Fox Corporation platforms.
• Upcoming quarterly earnings reports from Fox Corporation to assess advertising revenue associated with major sporting events.

Source: original release