A couple of months ago, the worlds of the Muppets and Sesame Street collided for the first time in awhile to promote their involvement in the impending halftime show for the 2026 World Cup Final. For weeks, we’ve been speculating as to what their contribution would actually be. Well, folks, yesterday saw the performance of the halftime show, and, um, it definitely had Muppets in it!
During the 11-minute performance, 1/2 of the Electric Mayhem showed up to assist in a performance of the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.” After a cameo by Ted Lasso and Coach Beard and some more celebrity musical numbers, more Muppets finally appeared. Kermit and Miss Piggy were joined by the Count, Elmo, and Cookie Monster, along with a chorus of children to sing “Believe in Love” (written expressly for the event by Coldplay).
Watch the video below and be careful not to blink or you’ll miss them!
Now, I’ll be honest. I didn’t think the Muppets were going to have their own solo number or anything given how little their involvement has been part of the promotion for this. But I did hope maybe they’d get at least A solo or some dialogue to help justify them being there, or some more direct interaction between the Disney-owned characters and the Sesame regulars. I sure as heck didn’t expect them to have less to do than Ted Lasso, but he’s got a new season to promote, so I guess that was more important.
But still, it’s nice that the Muppets got to be involved in any way with such a big, important production. And with its global reach, they were seen by hundreds of millions of viewers all over the world. That’s certainly nothin’ to sneeze at!
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By Shane Keating
