Announced cast worthy of an extraordinary World Cup: From Tom Cruise to Madonna, including Justin Bieber, Shakira and BTS, MetLife Stadium near New York will look like the “biggest stage in the world” at halftime of the Spain-Argentina final on Sunday.
After five weeks of competition and 104 matches in three countries (Mexico, USA and Canada), bringing together 48 teams for the first time, the FIFA World Cup will finally deliver its verdict.
But before finding out who will be crowned, Lionel Messi’s Albiceleste or Yamal’s Roja Lamina, 80,000 spectators in the stadium and billions of television viewers around the world will see a parade of stars during the closing ceremony and then during the break in the final, which will be attended by American President Donald Trump.
Tom Cruise is expected during the first act, which begins at 1:30 p.m. After his descent into the Stade de France during the transfer between Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028, we still don’t know what the Hollywood star, quick to pull off the craziest stunts, has in store for the public.
Also in attendance will be Robbie Williams, Laura Pausini and Nicole Scherzinger, performers of the official anthem “Desire”. American streamer IShowSpeed with 160 million subscribers and rapper Post Malone are also invited, and the American anthem will be performed by Oscar-winning singer and actress Jennifer Hudson.
11 minutes show
But it’s the second act, the 11-minute halftime concert, that generates the most anticipation. FIFA chief Gianni Infantino promised it would be “the greatest stage of all time.”
And during this Super Bowl-style “halftime show” hosted by Coldplay singer Chris Martin, with a highly international, multi-generational cast to please any audience, American megastar Madonna, who has just released a new album at 67, will share the bill with Canada’s Justin Bieber, South Korean K-pop group BTS and Shakira, a Latin American guarantee with World Cup experience. The Colombian’s song “Dai Dai”, heard throughout the competition, in a duet with the Nigerian Afrobeat star Burna Boy, will again find a response in the audience.
The concert will also feature Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel and a New York City choir accompanied by Coldplay, which raises funds for an education program led by FIFA and the non-governmental organization Global Citizen, co-founded by Chris Martin.
Will this spectacle go beyond the quarter-hour official break of a football match? The stated duration of 11 minutes may actually be longer, allowing for time to set up and remove the scenery. In the Club World Cup final at the same stadium last year, the break lasted just over 24 minutes, allowing for a similar spectacle.