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So long France, welcome celebrity cameos.
While Les Bleus won’t be gracing the pitch on 19 July, an impressive array of stars will be present at the World Cup halftime show.
We already reported that Madonna, BTS, Shakira, Justin Bieber and some other muppets will be performing for the first ever World Cup final halftime show, but now FIFA are doubling down in a bid to turn the Americanized mega-event even more mega.
Tom Cruise has been booked for a “special appearance”, following his infamous show at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, when he rappelled from the roof of the stadium to present an Olympic flag to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass as part of the Olympics handoff ceremony.
Time will tell whether football fans will get another stunt from the seemingly indefatigable Mission: Impossible star.
Elsewhere, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony winning singer-actress Jennifer Hudson will perform the US national anthem, while the likes of Laura Pausini, Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger and YouTube star IShowSpeed will also be performing in some capacity.
“Echoing the spirit of the opening ceremonies, which welcomed the world to the greatest stage in Canada, Mexico and the United States, the closing ceremony will bring the FIFA World Cup 2026 full circle through music, culture and football, before we kick off the highly anticipated match that will crown the champions of this groundbreaking tournament,” said Heimo Schirgi, COO of FIFA World Cup 2026.
FIFA added that “fans at the stadium will have an active role to play in the show,” encouraging them to arrive at the stadium early.
The World Cup final will see either England or Argentina face off against Spain, who beat France 2-0 yesterday. The final takes place on Sunday 19 July at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.