Liam Gallagher Rips World Cup Halftime Show as "Like a Bad Trip" — Only Spares Justin Bieber
Spain beat Argentina 1:0 to win the 2026 World Cup Final on July 19, 2026. The final's halftime show was curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, with Madonna, BTS, Justin Bieber, Shakira, and Burna Boy all taking the stage, plus appearances from The Muppets, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho. It marked the first official halftime performance in World Cup history. Oasis singer Liam Gallagher wasted no time firing off a string of tweets, quickly becoming the night's most-talked-about sideline commentator.
Gallagher's live tweets
Mid-performance, Gallagher's first tweet was blunt: "This is like a bad trip." When a fan suggested Oasis would have "smashed" the slot, he replied: "Nowt to do with us, well it is, but this is mental beyond mental, cuckoo with a capital K."
He joked he was grateful to be wearing "soul-protecting socks," or the halftime show would have pushed him past breaking point. The one exception: Justin Bieber's stripped-down acoustic rendition of "Everything Hallelujah." Gallagher wrote "Justin rules," and when someone asked who knew Bieber singing hallelujah on acoustic guitar would go this hard, his only reply was: "ME." After the show wrapped, he graciously congratulated Spain: "Best team won."
According to NME, former England international and pundit Wayne Rooney was equally unimpressed, calling the show "crap" — saying that while he likes Burna Boy, Bieber, and Shakira, the whole thing was "too calm, I just wanted to get back to the game."
Robert Smith's pre-emptive blast, and Gallagher's World Cup history
The Cure frontman Robert Smith had already voiced his objection on Instagram on July 16, posting a string of all-caps outrage about the halftime show concept. He clarified his criticism wasn't aimed at any particular performer, but at the very idea of a World Cup Final halftime show, tagging it with #fuckfifa and #breadandcircuses.
Gallagher himself had previously said that if England had reached the final, he was "ready" to perform "Wonderwall" on stage. The 1995 Oasis classic became something of an unofficial England anthem during this World Cup, with Noel Gallagher also stating publicly that the song "belongs to everyone."