World Cup final to have longest half-time ever

The half-time break in Sunday's World Cup final is expected to be the longest in the history of the FIFA World Cup, and will last between 20 and 25 minutes

An 11-minute Super Bowl-style show, co-headlined by Madonna, Shakira and K-pop boy band BTS, will take place during the interval at New York New Jersey Stadium. While sources within World Cup organisers Fifa suggest the break will be around 20 minutes, it is understood that one option is for the normal 15-minute half-time break and then the planned 11-minute show.

The laws of the game, governed by IFAB (the International Football Association Board), state that players are entitled to a half-time break "not exceeding 15 minutes". Half-time of last year's Club World Cup final, also organised by FIFA and held in New Jersey, lasted a total of 24 minutes due to a performance featuring Coldplay, J Balvin, Doja Cat, Tems and Emmanuel Kelly.

Justin Bieber was last week added to the bill for Sunday's performance which, along with the headliners, also includes Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel and the PS22 Chorus featuring Coldplay, with singer Chris Martin having curated the show.

The World Cup final will kick-off at 15:00 local time and there will be a closing ceremony starting at 13:30 local time. Tom Cruise, Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger, Robbie Williams and IShowSpeed are set to perform as part of the ceremony, with Jennifer Hudson to sing the United States' national anthem.

Spain booked their place in the final by beating France 2-0 in the first semi-final in Dallas on Tuesday. They will face either England or Argentina, who meet in Atlanta on Wednesday.