Does The FIFA World Cup Have A Halftime Show?

The FIFA World cup is arguably one of the most watched sporting events, if not the most watched worldwide. The event is estimated to generate an average of over $10 billion.

The Mundial, also officially known as the World Cup, is an international association football tournament competed by the nation’s members of FIFA.

Since the first edition in 1930, the tournament has been played every four years, with the exception of 1942 and 1946, when it was suspended due to the Second World War. France, who won their second World Cup title at the 2018 competition in Russia, are the current champions.

However, just like other sporting events like the FIFA Basketball world cup, does the FIFA world cup have a halftime show?

Does FIFA World Cup Have a Halftime Show?

The FIFA world cup doesn’t have a halftime show like the FIBA tournament and the NFL. However, the FIFA world cup has an opening ceremony before the first game, and it also holds an opening ceremony during the final match.

The FIFA world cup is one of the most significant and explosive sporting events held every four years. The event is held in different countries quadrennially, with brazil having won the tournament the most (5).

Why Doesn’t The FIFA World Cup Has A Halftime Show?

The FIFA world cup has a total of 64 games, with each played for 90 minutes. There are many reasons why the world cup doesn’t include halftime shows during the event.

The world cup is one of the most watched sporting events because of the game itself; the audience and spectators prefer to have a short interval from the first to the concluding half.

Here are some of the reasons why FIFA doesn’t have a halftime show

• Audience

Events that have halftime shows are the NBA and the Superbowl, which are American sports. The FIFA world cup is an international event with over 3.5 billion people watching the event from all over the world.

Integrating halftime shows with soccer tournaments won’t appeal to fans, especially from the European region, where soccer is one of the major sports.

Also, soccer fans watch this event for the games, intensity, rivalry between their favorite players, and countries. Introducing a halftime show is an American concept that will not work for an event meant for the world.

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• The Audience Prefers A Shorter Halftime Break

The soccer game is played for 90 minutes, divided into two halves of 45 minutes each. After the first half, the players are given 15 minutes to rest, and managers also use this moment to tell players new tactics and whatnot.

However, the audience is the one that dictates the flow and the buzz that’s happening at the stadium, which of course, psychologically dictates how the intensity of the game will be.

Adding extra time to integrate the halftime show will reduce or even kill the passion brought by the spectators to the game.

Also, the 15 minutes rest time is a perfect way to rest the players, and at the same time, they are still very much intensified from the rivalry in the match. Extending the rest longer than 15 minutes will likely cause the player fatigue.

• Soccer Is Different From Football

This is another reason why the world cup doesn’t have halftime shows. As much as American football and soccer have similarities, the same techniques can’t be used for both games.

Soccer is more of a momentum game, and with every second and minute passing, more intensity and momentum are introduced into the game. At the same time, football is more of a “start and stop” game.

In a game that requires momentum to be exciting and fun for spectators and players, having a halftime show will dead the rate.

Is There An Advantage To Having A Halftime Show In The FIFA World Cup?

The FIFA world cup, just like all soccer tournaments played in Europe and worldwide, has halftime breaks and not a halftime show.

However, there are questions about whether there could be an advantage to having a halftime show in the FIFA world cup. Theoretically, some benefits could be gotten from integrating halftime shows into the world cup events.

Here are some of the advantages of adding halftime shows to the world cup;

• More Viewers

The thought of bringing spectators’ favorite artists to the event will attract more audience to the event. It will attract soccer fans and people who want to see their famous artists perform.

Ultimately, this would generate more revenue for the world cup organizers and the host country.

• The Audience Will Benefit From More

Introducing halftime shows will allow the audience to get more value for the tickets bought for the event.

Imagine paying for a ticket that will allow you to see your favorite player, team, and artist for the price of a ticket. We all know getting access to see a famous artist perform can be very expensive.

• It Gives Players More Time To Rest

Introducing a halftime show can be a great way to give the players more time to rest and provide the managers more time to point out their errors and how to break the opponent’s defenses.

However, giving players more time to rest can also have its disadvantage, as we all know that soccer is a momentum game, and if players are given more time to rest, they might get fatigued.

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How Does FIFA Make Money?

Fifa’s primary source of revenue, as we all know, is the world cup tournament, which is one of the most watched and prominent sports events worldwide.

The tournament is being played by eligible national teams from countries worldwide. Even though the game is held once in four years, it’s still enough to be FIFA’s primary revenue source.

Fifa generates revenue through the world cup by selling television, marketing, and licensing rights.

Since they are the only organization responsible for setting up the world cup and women’s world cup as well as the under 18’s world cup, there is no doubt that billions will be made from any of these events.

Here’s how FIFA makes money;

• Television Rights

Out of the estimated 3.5 billion people that watched the last world cup held in Russia, over 65% of that came from people watching it on televisions all over the world.

In 2018, FIFA generated over 4.6 billion dollars, of which more than half of this revenue came from selling television rights.

Any channel to stream a world cup tournament has to pay a certain amount for television rights. ESPN and the twenty-first century (FOX) entered a bidding war to get the television rights for the 2022 world cup tournaments, in which Fox won the right by paying 400 million dollars to obtain the television rights.

• Marketing Rights

Another way that FIFA generates revenue is through marketing rights. Brands and companies worldwide buy marketing rights to showcase and advertise their products to audiences.

Of the 4.6 billion generated in the 2018 world cup, 1. 66 billion came from marketing rights.

• Licensing Rights

Over 600 million dollars will be made through licensing rights during the World Cup’s four-year run.

As football becomes more popular, this number keeps rising with every competition. These 600 million dollars come from various sources, including the sale of trademark licensing agreements, royalties, and other sums of money.

1. FIFA’s Hospitality Rights And Ticket Sales

Most of FIFA’s income comes from ticket sales, hospitality and lodging rights, and other sources. A direct subsidiary of FIFA has the full authority to use the ticketing system.

The overall revenue from ticket sales and hospitality rights was estimated to reach 712 million between 2015 and 2018. More than 10 million tickets were sold for Russia’s 2018 World Cup match.

How Is The FIFA World Cup Being Played?

The FIFA world cup is played for 28 days with 32 national teams. The 32 eligible national teams will play a full final game, including 64 matches.

The 32 teams are divided into eight groups, each having four teams. Each team will play against teams in the same group, in which the two teams with the most point within the group will qualify for the round of 16, popularly known as the knockout stage.

The teams are paired against each other; for example, the team topping group A will face the runner-up of Group B. The winner of each match-up in the knockout stage will proceed to the quarter-finals, and eight teams will move to the quarter-finals.

The quarter will see a total of four matches being played by eight teams, and the winner of each game in the quarter will proceed to the semi-finals. Four teams will move to the semi-finals, and a total of two matches will be played.

The team that loses in the semi-finals will play against each other for the 3rd position. Afterward, the final match will be played.

Does FIFA World Cup Have A Closing Show During The Finals?

Yes, FIFA has an opening show before the tournament starts and a closing show before the final match is played.

The closing show starts 45 minutes before the final game, and any artiste called by the federation hosts it. The 2018 FIFA closing show was performed by Nicky Jam, Will Smith, and Era Istrefi.

How Much Does FIFA Pay The Teams That Participated?

Each team receives $2 million for preparing for the competition and $10 million to enter the contest. The World Cup champion will then additionally collect $50 million.

The winner will take home 62 million dollars in prize money alone. The funds for each player’s participation are added. FIFA gives the clubs a total of $ 209 million so players can participate. Include an additional 134 million dollars in insurance benefits.

The winner of the World Cup 2022 will also gain direct qualification to the next FIFA Confederations Cup in addition to the prize money.

How long is halftime in soccer FIFA?

15 minutes

In a match that is officially accepted by FIFA, halftime lasts 15 minutes and comes after 45 minutes (including stoppage time) have passed. In games that use extra time, there is a much shorter break from action that lasts around a minute in between extra time halves.

 

How long is a World Cup half?

45-minute each half

There are two 45-minute halves in a World Cup match, and the time is always running. The referee may add stoppage time at the end of each half to make up for time lost as a result of injuries, penalties, or other play-interrupting circumstances.

 

Conclusion

The FIFA world cup is one of the most watched sporting events, making over $10 billion dollars.

However, it doesn’t have a halftime show like other events like the Superbowl and the NBA.