Shakira’s crystal Cavalli dress brings her World Cup fashion full circle
By Lara Owen, Press Association
Sixteen years after Roberto Cavalli dressed her for the 2010 World Cup, Shakira returned to football’s biggest stage in another creation by the Italian fashion house.
The Colombian singer’s crystal-fringed dress marked a full-circle fashion moment during the World Cup’s first half-time show, while Madonna’s pink corset and Justin Bieber’s streetwear helped reflect a new entertainment-focused era for televised sport.
Fifa introduced a Super Bowl-style musical break during the final between Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey near New York, with Madonna, Shakira and Justin Bieber leading a line-up curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.
Burna Boy, conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the PS22 Chorus also appeared during the show, which marked a significant departure from the more pared-back entertainment traditionally associated with football’s biggest match.
Shakira performed in a custom Roberto Cavalli creation designed by the label’s creative director, Fausto Puglisi, and covered with approximately 200,000 Swarovski crystals.
The look combined the movement and drama required for a stadium performance. It also carried particular significance for the Colombian singer, who wore the designer when she performed at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Rather than revisiting the bohemian, festival-inspired styling associated with the singer and her 2010 appearance, this crystal-encrusted Cavalli dress presented a more theatrical look, turning a familiar designer partnership into a modern World Cup fashion statement.
Shakira’s 2026 look was designed to be seen from the stands, on television and across social media.
Madonna, meanwhile, leant more into street style, wearing Saint Laurent and incorporating one of the most recognisable elements of her stage wardrobe: the corset.
Paired with purple knee-high boots, the 67-year-old singer paired the pink corset with pink running shorts and a track jacket.
Corsetry has remained a recurring part of Madonna’s identity throughout her career, most notably during her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour when she wore her now-iconic cone-bra leotard by Jean Paul Gaultier.
Madonna has used the structured corset to challenge conventional ideas of age, femininity and power in her performances.
Singer Justin Bieber changed both the tempo and the dress code for “Everything Hallelujah”, wearing relaxed pieces from his Skylrk label alongside jewellery.
He returned to the big stage following his viral Coachella performance and the cancellation of his world tour due to health issues.
Similarly to Madonna, Bieber’s styling leaned into contemporary streetwear rather than traditional stage costume, which shows the increasingly blurred boundaries between celebrity merchandise, personal brands and performance fashion.
K-pop band BTS, on the other hand, opted for more traditional outfits, co-ordinating in burgundy, white and black football-inspired looks.
The pieces played with the familiar proportions and details of kits, mirroring the classic football shirt, but introduced other sporting motifs such as the motocross and varsity jacket.
Cameos from Burna Boy, Chris Martin, Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso, The Muppets and the New York Philharmonic also featured in the record-breaking 27 minutes and 22 seconds half-time performance – the longest in World Cup history.
The laws of the game, governed by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) state that payers are entitled to a half-time break “not exceeding 15 minutes”.
The extended production signalled Fifa’s ambition to make half-time an entertainment spectacle in its own right.
