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Hollywood icon Tom Cruise and music superstars Madonna and Shakira will headline a star-studded entertainment lineup at the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, turning MetLife Stadium into a global stage before Spain and Argentina clash for football’s biggest prize.
More than 80,000 fans are expected at the New Jersey venue on Sunday, while billions around the globe will watch the final, which will also feature an unprecedented lineup of performances and celebrity appearances.
Among the high-profile guests will be US President Donald Trump, who is expected to attend the showpiece event.
The pre-match closing ceremony will begin at 1:30 pm local time (1730 GMT), featuring Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise in a special appearance alongside British singer Robbie Williams, Pussycat Dolls vocalist Nicole Scherzinger and Oscar-winning singer Jennifer Hudson, who will perform the US national anthem.
Cruise’s appearance has generated huge anticipation following his dramatic stunt at the Paris 2024 Olympic closing ceremony, where he descended from the roof of the Stade de France. Organisers have kept details of his World Cup performance under wraps.
American rapper and singer Post Malone and internet sensation IShowSpeed are also expected to take part in the festivities.
For the first time in FIFA World Cup history, the final will feature an 11-minute halftime show, which FIFA President Gianni Infantino has described as the biggest entertainment spectacle ever staged at a World Cup.
The show will bring together an all-star cast, including pop icon Madonna, Justin Bieber, K-pop supergroup BTS and Colombian superstar Shakira, whose collaboration with Burna Boy, “Dai Dai,” serves as the tournament’s official anthem.
Renowned Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel will also perform with a New York choir, while Coldplay frontman Chris Martin has curated the entire halftime production.
The halftime show will support a charitable cause, raising funds for a global education initiative jointly led by FIFA and the non-governmental organisation Global Citizen.
The elaborate production could extend the traditional 15-minute halftime interval, as assembling and dismantling the stage is expected to require additional time. A similar entertainment setup during last year’s FIFA Club World Cup final at the same stadium stretched the halftime break to more than 24 minutes.
With football’s biggest prize on the line and an unmatched lineup of entertainment, the World Cup final is set to deliver a memorable spectacle both on and off the field.