World Cup Finals first-ever halftime show forcing Spain, Argentina to adapt with longer break

For 96 years, the World Cup has belonged to the players.That’s all about to change.For the first time in World Cup history, the final will pause for an 11-minute halftime concert featuring Madonna, Justin Bieber, Shakira and BTS.

They will also be joined by special guests Burna Boy, Coldplay, Post Malone, Gustavo Dudamel, the New York Philharmonic and Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra, the PS22 Chorus and a cast of over 350 performers.It’s a spectacle that surpasses the Super Bowl halftime show and is expected to captivate more than 1 billion viewers, while raising more than $100 million to expand children’s access to education and soccer around the world.But the far more fascinating question for the players on the pitch is how the longer delay will affect the match between Argentina and Spain, and what the field conditions will be like in the second half?Soccer’s law has always said halftime should not exceed 15 minutes.The halftime show is expected to stretch that to more than 20 minutes.

That extra time may sound insignificant to everyone except the 22 players preparing to decide the biggest prize in all of sports.Elite athletes spend halftime trying to prevent muscles from cooling, heart rates from dropping and rhythm from disappearing.U.S.

forward Christian Pulisic played through a calf injury in the first half of the team’s opening 4-1 victory over Paraguay, but the 15-minute halftime break was enough time for his calf muscle to cool and start to tighten, leaving him unavailable for the second half.That uncertainty makes the chess match inside both locker rooms almost as intriguing as the concert going on outside them.Will players get longer time on the treatment table? Will they stay warm on the exercise bikes or treadmills? Will the coaches’ halftime speeches get extended? Will the longer break benefit Argentina’s older core or will it interrupt Spain’s possession rhythm and high pressing?Nobody knows because nobody has ever experienced a h...