Justin Bieber added to 11-minute World Cup final halftime show

New York: Justin Bieber has been added to the star-packed lineup of the first-ever World Cup final halftime show as organizers confirmed Wednesday that the entire musical performance will last 11 minutes.

Canadian megastar Bieber joins Madonna, Shakira and K-pop sensation BTS for the Super Bowl-style halftime show on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Coldplay's Chris Martin is curating the extravaganza, a first for a football World Cup final and one that has raised concerns over how long the game's halftime break will be. asg-reflektory.pl

الأخبارQSL holds technical meeting ahead of new season kick-offDoha, Qatar: The Qatar Stars League (QSL) held its technical meeting for the first leg of the 2026-2027 League at The Torch Hotel yesterday, bringing together QSL officials and ...فتح →

The laws of football allow a halftime interval "not exceeding 15 minutes." Even an 11-minute musical performance could still require the break to be extended, given the time likely required to set up and disassemble the show.

But the announcement will assuage concerns raised by previous speculation that the World Cup final halftime show itself could stretch for as long as 25 minutes.

FIFA chief Gianni Infantino has said the halftime show will be "definitely the biggest stage ever," with "a couple of billion" expected to tune in.

The show, which will also feature characters from "Sesame Street" and "The Muppets," will support FIFA's Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative working to raise $100 million for children worldwide during the World Cup.

"The FIFA World Cup brings the world together in a way nothing else can," Bieber said in a statement.

"I'm grateful to be part of this halftime show, and even more grateful knowing it's already helping expand access to education for children around the world," added the "Stay" and "Love Yourself" hitmaker.

Also added to the lineup in Wednesday's announcement were Nigerian singer-songwriter Burna Boy and Venezuelan classical conductor Gustavo Dudamel.

Coldplay will feature in a collaboration with PS22 Chorus, an acclaimed choir of students from a New York public elementary school.

"This is the single largest gathering of artists united for a cause since Live Aid, and it could well be the most-watched 11 minutes of broadcast music performance in history," said Hugh Evans, co-founder and CEO of anti-poverty campaign group and concert organizer Global Citizen.

At 11 minutes, the World Cup final halftime show would be slightly shorter than most recent Super Bowl halftime performances, which have typically been around 13-14 minutes long.

A halftime show was trialed at last year's FIFA Club World Cup final, also at MetLife Stadium.

It stretched the entire break to just over 24 minutes, drawing some criticism over the potential impact on players' performance.

أصبحت المراكز التجارية في قطر، تلعب دورا فاعلا وتقدم مساهمة جيدة في نشر ثقافة الرياضة، وممارسة النشاط البدني، من خلال المشاركة في برنامج «تحدي الخطوات للمشي في المولات» لمسافة 5 آلاف خطوة، ضمن فعاليات برنامج صيف 2026، الذي ينظمه الاتحاد القطري للرياضة للجميع، تحت مظلة وزارة الرياضة والشباب، وينفذ من خلاله العديد من المبادرات التي تشجع وتحفز أفراد المجتمع على النشاط البدني، عن طريق ممارسة رياضة المشي في المولات، أثناء فصل الصيف، والذي يصعب خلاله القيام بالنشاط الرياضي في الأماكن المفتوحة، وذلك بسبب ارتفاع درجة الحرارة. وتنتظم فعاليات تحدي المشي في المولات، في حوالي اثني عشرة مركزا تجاريا في قطر، وتتواصل هذه الفعالية حتى نهاية الصيف، حيث يشهد فستيفال مول سيتي يومياً، مشاركة واسعة من فئات المجتمع المختلفة، من الرجال والسيدات والشباب والأطفال، وكبار القدر.

Geneva: A Paraguayan lawmaker's "racist and dehumanising" remarks about France's football World Cup star Kylian Mbappe were "despicable", but regrettably not isolated, the United Nations said Tuesday.

"Reports of racist incidents during the FIFA World Cup 2026 reflect a wider phenomenon across football and sports more broadly," UN human rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan said in a statement.

في ذروة تألق منتخبه بكأس العالم 2026، يجد الاتحاد الأرجنتيني لكرة القدم نفسه تحت مجهر التحقيقات الفيدرالية الأمريكية، وسط شبهات تطال تحويلات مالية بمئات الملايين من الدولارات عبر بنوك أمريكية.

فبينما تتجه الأنظار إلى ملاعب المونديال، يخوض الاتحاد معركة أخرى بعيداً عن المستطيل الأخضر، أمام مكتب التحقيقات الفيدرالي (FBI) ومدعين فيدراليين يبحثون في ملف يهدد رئيسه كلاوديو تابيا.

هذا ماكشفته صحيفة لا ناسيون الأرجنتينية أن عملاء من مكتب التحقيقات الفيدرالي الأمريكي (FBI) ومدعين فيدراليين بدأوا في جمع إفادات بشأن العمليات المالية للاتحاد الأرجنتيني لكرة القدم (AFA) داخل الولايات المتحدة، وذلك استناداً إلى مصدرين مطلعين على الملف.

وبحسب الصحيفة، تتركز التحقيقات على شركة TourProdEnter LLC، ومقرها ولاية فلوريدا، والتي تولت إدارة تحصيل العقود التجارية الدولية للاتحاد، ويملكها المنتج المسرحي خافيير فاروني وزوجته إيريكا جيليت.

وتشير الوثائق التي حصلت عليها الصحيفة إلى أن الشركة أدارت ما لا يقل عن 260 مليون دولار من عائدات الاتحاد عبر حسابات في خمسة بنوك أمريكية، من بينها سيتي بنك وبنك أوف أمريكا وجي بي مورجان.

ويقود التحقيق الأولي، الذي بدأ خلال عام 2025، ثلاثة مدعين فيدراليين: باتريك جوشو وكريستوفر تينج في واشنطن، ومايكل بيرجر في مقاطعة فلوريدا الجنوبية، ويسعى المحققون إلى تحديد ما إذا كانت التحويلات المالية الضخمة قد استُخدمت لإخفاء أموال غير مشروعة أو التهرب من الضرائب.

ولم تُوجَّه حتى الآن أي اتهامات رسمية ضد الاتحاد أو رئيسه كلاوديو تابيا أو أي من المسؤولين المرتبطين بالملف، إذ لا تزال القضية في مرحلة التحقيق الأولي وجمع الشهادات والوثائق.

من جانبه، وصف الاتحاد الأرجنتيني لكرة القدم، في بيان سابق، ما تردد من معلومات صحفية بأنه غير منصف وغير مثبت، مؤكداً أن علاقته التعاقدية مع الشركة المذكورة خضعت للمراجعة القضائية في الأرجنتين والولايات المتحدة دون رصد أي مخالفات.

DOHA: The International Padel Federation and the Qatar Padel Federation yesterday announced Doha as the host city for the 2026 and 2028 editions of the FIP World Cup, the most prestigious international competition for national teams.

Both editions will be held at the iconic Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex, a venue that has hosted some of the world’s most important international Padel events in recent years – including the Qatar Major Premier Padel four times, and the last World Team Championships – and has established itself as one of the sport’s leading destinations.

FIP’s flagship biennial event will see 16 men’s national teams and 16 women’s national teams compete for the world title in the two editions awarded to Qatar. As confirmed in the official FIP calendar, the 2026 edition will take place from November 2 to 7.

The decision to award the hosting rights for the 2026 and 2028 FIP World Cups to Doha was based on a series of key criteria, including the high quality of sporting infrastructure, the conditions offered to athletes and national delegations, proven experience in staging major international events, high safety standards, financial guarantees, and the strong sporting legacy developed by Qatar in recent years.

A further element reflecting the growth and ambition of the FIP World Cup is the prize money, which will reach unprecedented levels in the history of Padel and will be distributed equally between the men’s and women’s competitions.

The 2026 edition will offer a record prize fund of €1.2m, rising further to €1.35m in 2028. This represents the highest prize money ever awarded in an official Padel competition and underlines the commitment of FIP and the Qatar Padel Federation to further enhance the prestige of the event and showcase the highest level of competition among national teams.

“The awarding of the 2026 and 2028 editions of the FIP World Cup to Doha is a decision that looks to the future of our sport” said FIP President Luigi Carraro.

“Qatar has consistently demonstrated that it possesses all the necessary qualities to host world-class events, and awarding two consecutive editions of the World Cup to the country will provide continuity for the tournament’s growth, ensuring an outstanding experience for players, federations and fans”.

“Doha is one of the global homes of Padel. On more than one occasion it has demonstrated its ability to deliver exceptional standards of organisation and hospitality, and it holds a special place in the history of international Padel. We are confident it will once again help write new and historic chapters in the story of our sport, with the invaluable contribution of the Qatar Padel Federation, whom I thank for its commitment and passion in supporting the growth of Padel worldwide”.

Tareq Zainal, Secretary General of the Qatar Padel Federation, said: “We are honoured by the International Padel Federation’s decision to award Doha the hosting rights for both the 2026 and 2028 FIP World Cup. Having previously hosted the championship on two occasions, we are proud that Qatar continues to be entrusted with one of the sport’s most watched events”.

“This confidence reflects the dedication of the Qatar Padel Federation and all our partners to delivering world-class tournaments that meet the highest international standards. Hosting two consecutive editions presents a unique opportunity to build on our experience, further enhance the event, and create an exceptional experience for players, teams and fans from around the world. We look forward to welcoming the global Padel community back to Doha and contributing to the continued growth and success of our sport”.