After an exciting few weeks, the 2026 FIFA World Cup wrapped up at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Sunday with a very tense—bordering on unpleasant—contest between Spain and Argentina. (The shoving! The red card! Emiliano Martínez playing with a broken finger!) But the action wasn’t limited to the gameplay: the afternoon was also full of musical acts and A-list appearances. Here, we round up the best parts of the match that had almost nothing to do with the fútbol.
The activated national anthem
Before kick-off, Jennifer Hudson got the afternoon off to a rousing start with a full-throated rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” in a custom white skirt suit by Thom Browne. This was followed by a somewhat less inspiring performance of “Desire,” the year’s official FIFA anthem, by the strange combination of Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger, and Italian pop star Laura Pausini; but first, Fox’s cameras cut briefly to President Trump up in a box, triggering what sounded awfully like a chorus of boos from the stadium. Hm!
Others showed up on the field before the match began. There were Hoyeon and Carlos Alacaraz, who walked out to reveal the World Cup trophy, housed within a custom Louis Vuitton trunk; and then Tom Cruise, who gave a little speech on the pitch—”Today, only two teams remain: España v. Argentina!”
The halftime show
A lot went on during the World Cup’s first-ever halftime show. After an opener from Madonna, performing “Music” flanked by Brazilian soccer legends Ronaldinho Gaúcho and Ronaldo, came—deep breath—Gustavo Dudamel in a custom jersey; violinists miming the “Viking Row”; Muppets; a performance of “Dynamite” by BTS; Jason Sudeikis, as Ted Lasso, introducing Justin Bieber, who sang “Everything Hallelujah”; Shakira and Burna Boy doing “Dai Dai” amid a sea of child dancers—Uganda’s “Ghetto Kids”—and then a performance by Staten Island’s PS22 Chorus, with an assist from Chris Martin, as the entire field was covered in the word “LOVE”—the O was a globe. Is that clear?
This article was originally published on Vogue.com.
