American singer Post Malone will headline the World Cup closing ceremony during the final, which will be held this Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium in the New York/New Jersey host region, joining celebrities such as Tom Cruise and Robbie Williams.
Post Malone, a singer-songwriter born in New York State, is the latest artist to join the closing ceremony of the World Cup in Mexico, Canada, and the United States, which will be held on Sunday, FIFA announced in a statement on Wednesday.
Other celebrities from the world of music and entertainment confirmed for the ceremony include actor Tom Cruise, singers Robbie Williams and Laura Pausini, artist Nicole Scherzinger, and streamer IShowSpeed.
Singer Jennifer Hudson, winner of an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony)—the four major awards in American entertainment—will perform a “special” version of the U.S. national anthem.
So far, the national anthem has been played at every World Cup match at MetLife Stadium, although about an hour before kickoff—unlike in American sports, where it is typically played just before the game begins.
What will the closing ceremony featuring Shakira, Madonna, and other celebrities be like?
The closing ceremony will take place at 1:30 p.m. local time (5:30 p.m. GMT), 90 minutes before the start of the final, at 3:00 p.m. local time (7:00 p.m. GMT).
The show, which will serve as the closing ceremony for the World Cup, will be produced in collaboration with the Italian event management company Balich Wonder Studio, and although FIFA has not provided specific details about what it will entail, the statement highlighted “the passion, excitement, and global nature” of the tournament.
At the start of the tournament, the opening ceremony in Mexico featured artists such as Shakira, the Mexican singers Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, and Lila Downs, the Venezuelan singer Danny Ocean, the Colombian singer J Balvin, Tyla, and the bands Maná and Los Ángeles Azules.
In the United States, Katy Perry, Korean sensation LISA, Brazilian singer Anitta, rapper Future, and producer DJ Sanjoy performed, while in Canada, Michael Bublé, Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, the rock band Rush, Nelly Furtado, and the hip-hop group The Halluci Nation took the stage.
FIFA is also planning a halftime musical performance for the first time in the tournament’s history, featuring Colombian singer Shakira, Madonna, South Korean K-pop group BTS, Justin Bieber, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, Burna Boy, the PS22 choir, and Coldplay.
The halftime show—a tradition in American sports and world-famous thanks to the Super Bowl—will extend the halftime break of the World Cup final beyond the regulation 15 minutes, according to Agencia EFE.
