Tom Cruise, Madonna and Robbie Williams headline World Cup 2026 closing ceremony at MetLife Stadium

FIFA has unveiled the complete line-up for the World Cup 2026 closing ceremony at MetLife Stadium, with Tom Cruise headlining a star-studded spectacle set to begin 90 minutes before the final’s 8pm UK kick-off. The ceremony is designed, in FIFA’s own words, to “celebrate the 48 teams’ unforgettable journey” through the inaugural expanded tournament played across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Cruise is billed as making a ‘special appearance’ — a role that follows his high-profile stunt at the 2024 Paris Olympics closing ceremony, where the Mission: Impossible star abseiled from the roof of the Stade de France. Joining him are Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger, Laura Pausini and multi-award-winning singer Jennifer Hudson, who will perform the United States national anthem. YouTuber Darren Watkins, widely known as IShowSpeed, also features on the billing.

The ceremony is separate from a half-time show during the final itself, which will feature Madonna, Justin Bieber, BTS and Shakira among its performers — making MetLife Stadium the centrepiece of what amounts to the most elaborate entertainment programme in World Cup history.

Williams and Pausini are no strangers to FIFA’s biggest stages. The pair headlined the closing ceremony of the revamped Club World Cup in 2025, while Williams also opened the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Their return underlines FIFA’s preference for proven live performers at marquee events.

The entire production is being handled by Balich Wonder Studio, the Milan-based company that oversaw all three of the 2026 World Cup’s opening ceremonies across the host nations. The studio’s recent portfolio includes the 2022 World Cup opening and closing events in Qatar, the Euro 2024 ceremony, the Champions League final pre-match show and the Africa Cup of Nations — giving them an unmatched track record in large-scale football spectacle.

The final itself caps a record-breaking tournament: 104 matches have been played under the new 48-team format, the first time the competition has been staged at that scale.