EAST RUTHERFORD — Fifa announced the lineup for the 2026 World Cup closing ceremony on Tuesday. The event will begin at 1:30 p.m. ET on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and feature performances by global stars ahead of the tournament’s final match.

The closing ceremony will take place 90 minutes before the World Cup final, which kicks off at 3 p.m. ET. It will be held at MetLife Stadium—the venue temporarily designated as New York New Jersey Stadium for the tournament—and marks the culmination of the first World Cup jointly hosted by three nations: the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The ceremony is intended to celebrate the journey of the 48 participating teams through 16 host cities across the three countries.

Tom Cruise will make a special appearance during the ceremony, joining a diverse roster of musical performers. British singer Robbie Williams, a former member of the group Take That, will perform, as will Italian artist Laura Pausini, who previously helped open the Milan Cortina Olympics in February. Nicole Scherzinger, a Tony Award winner and former lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, is also scheduled to take the stage. American singer Jennifer Hudson, who holds an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award, will perform the U.S. national anthem before the final match.

Internet personality and entertainer IShowSpeed is listed as a performer in the closing ceremony. He has streamed multiple World Cup matches during the tournament and released a song titled “World Cup (Champions)” at the start of the competition. His inclusion reflects the event’s effort to blend traditional entertainment with digital-age cultural figures.

Heimo Schirgi, the World Cup’s chief operating officer, said: “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.” The ceremony is being produced in partnership with Balich Wonder Studio, led by Marco Balich, who also orchestrated the 2022 World Cup’s opening and closing ceremonies in Qatar.

Fifa has encouraged ticketholders to arrive early for the closing ceremony, recommending that fans come four hours prior to the 3 p.m. ET kick-off. Stadium gates will open at 11 a.m.

ET, aligning with Fifa’s guidance and allowing ample time for entry and pre-show activities. The organization stated that fans will have an active role to play in the show, underscoring the participatory nature of the event.

Television coverage will begin well before the ceremony itself: FOX will air a pregame show starting at 11 a.m. ET, coinciding with the stadium’s opening. This extended broadcast window is designed to build anticipation for both the closing spectacle and the final match, which will determine the champion of the 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup—the first to feature 48 teams and three host nations.

Gianni Infantino, Fifa president, posted on Instagram: “This will be a historic moment for the Fifa World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world.” His statement reinforces the organization’s emphasis on scale and global celebration as the tournament concludes on U.S. soil.

The 2026 World Cup closing ceremony represents a cultural and logistical milestone as the first to follow a tournament hosted across three countries. By incorporating performers with international reach—from Hollywood actor Tom Cruise to digital-native entertainer IShowSpeed—Fifa aims to reflect the tournament’s expanded global footprint and diverse audience.

The event also underscores the evolving nature of major sporting finales, which increasingly function as standalone entertainment spectacles. With MetLife Stadium serving as the stage and fans playing an integrated role, the ceremony bridges sport, music, and collective celebration on a scale consistent with the World Cup’s status as the planet’s most-watched sporting event.