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International stars from the worlds of music and entertainment, such as actor Tom Cruise, singers Robbie Williams and Laura Pausini, artist Nicole Scherzinger, and streamer IShowSpeed will participate in the 2026 World Cup closing ceremony next Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium in the New York/New Jersey host area.
Singer Jennifer Hudson, an EGOT winner (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony, the four major American entertainment awards), will perform a "special" version of the United States national anthem, FIFA announced in a statement this Tuesday.
So far, the United States national anthem has played at all World Cup matches at MetLife Stadium, although it occurs about an hour before the matches, unlike the moments preceding games in American sports.
The closing ceremony will take place at 1:30 PM local time (17:30 GMT), 90 minutes before the start of the final, which will kick off at 3:00 PM local time (19:00 GMT).
The show to close out the World Cup will be produced in collaboration with the Italian event management company Balich Wonder Studio, and although FIFA has not specified details, it will highlight the "passion, emotion, and global character" of the tournament.
The tournament's opening ceremony in Mexico featured names such as Shakira, Mexicans Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, and Lila Downs, Venezuelan Danny Ocean, Colombian J Balvin, South African Tyla, and the groups Maná and Los Ángeles Azules.
In the United States, performances included Katy Perry, K-pop sensation LISA, Brazilian Anitta, rapper Future, and producer DJ Sanjoy, while Canada featured Michael Bublé, Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, the rock band Rush, Nelly Furtado, and the hip-hop group The Halluci Nation.
FIFA also plans a musical halftime show for the first time in the tournament's history, featuring performances by Shakira, Madonna, the South Korean group BTS, Justin Bieber, Venezuelan Gustavo Dudamel, Burna Boy, the PS22 Chorus, and Coldplay.
The halftime show, a staple of American sports and globally famous due to the American football Super Bowl, will cause the World Cup final's halftime break to last longer than the regulation 15 minutes.
[Publicidad]