FIFA World Cup 2026 Closing Ceremony Performers: From Tom Cruise, Madonna to BTS here's the A-Star list set to light up New Jersey on July 19

Four years ago, Lionel Messi lifted the Fifa World Cup in Qatar in front of a stunned Lusail Stadium. On Sunday, the trophy changes hands again, but this time, the send-off promises to be unlike anything football has seen before. The curtain comes down on the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19, and organisers have lined up not one but two separate spectacles: a pre-match closing ceremony and, for the first time in World Cup history, an actual halftime show during the final itself. Between the two, the guest list reads more like a Grammy after-party than a football send-off.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Closing Ceremony: Hollywood Meets The Football Pitch

The closing ceremony kicks off at 1:30 PM local time on Sunday, 90 minutes before the final whistle-to-be, and FIFA has confirmed a genuinely eclectic lineup for it. Italian pop veteran Laura Pausini, former Pussycat Dolls frontwoman Nicole Scherzinger, British hitmaker Robbie Williams and internet sensation-turned-World Cup mascot IShowSpeed are all set to perform.

Joining them for a special appearance is none other than Tom Cruise, who has been a fixture at World Cup matches through the tournament and previously featured in the closing show of the Paris Olympics. His presence alone has fans expecting a Hollywood-style flourish somewhere in the production.


Before the ball is even kicked, Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony winner Jennifer Hudson will step up to sing the United States national anthem.

The show itself is being staged by Balich Wonder Studio, the outfit behind several major global ceremonies, and FIFA has said the segment will trace the journey of all 48 competing teams across the three host nations and sixteen host cities that have staged matches since kickoff. Tournament organisers have also hinted that a few more names could still be added before Sunday.

For The First Time Ever: A Real Halftime Show at the World Cup Closing Ceremony

Here's where this final breaks entirely new ground. Rather than the usual short interval, the 2026 final will feature an actual 11-minute halftime show, something no previous World Cup has attempted, produced by the Global Citizen organisation in partnership with Live Nation.

The headline act alone is staggering: Madonna, Shakira and K-pop giants BTS were announced first, before Justin Bieber signed on as a fourth co-headliner. Nigerian Afrobeats star Burna Boy, who teamed up with Shakira on this year's official tournament anthem "Dai Dai," will also take the stage, alongside celebrated conductor Gustavo Dudamel and New York's viral PS22 school choir, who'll perform with Coldplay. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin is curating the entire segment.

There's a cause behind the spectacle too. The performance is tied to the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, a joint push to raise $100 million toward schooling and football access for children worldwide, organisers say more than half that target has already been secured, partly through a dollar donated from every match ticket sold this tournament. Sesame Street's Kermit and Miss Piggy are also expected to make an appearance as part of the education-themed message.

Shakira's involvement continues a personal World Cup tradition, she sang "Waka Waka" in 2010, "La La La" in 2014, and performed at the 2006 closing ceremony as well, making this her fifth World Cup appearance in some form.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Closing Ceremony India Time

Given the time difference, this one's going to demand a very late night, or an early Monday morning, for viewers back home.
Gates open at the stadium: 11:00 AM local time, which is around 8:30 PM IST on July 19
Closing ceremony begins: 1:30 PM local time, roughly 11:00 PM IST
Kickoff: 3:00 PM local time, which lands at approximately 12:30 AM IST on July 20
Halftime show: expected somewhere between 3:45 and 4:15 PM local time, or around 1:15–1:45 AM IST

Fans planning to catch the action live will want to keep the coffee ready.

FIFA World Cup Closing Ceremony 2026: Beyond The Stadium

FIFA has also arranged a fan takeover of Times Square through the finals weekend, while Global Citizen is organising a watch party for roughly 50,000 people on Central Park's Great Lawn, complete with giant screens and its own live entertainment feeding off the stadium show.

Whatever happens on the pitch on Sunday, one thing already seems certain, for the first time, a World Cup final is going to feel like a global concert with a football match squeezed in between.