FIFA Names Tom Cruise, Robbie Williams and Jennifer Hudson for World Cup Final Show

What happened: FIFA announced that Tom Cruise will be among the names taking part in the World Cup closing ceremony before Sunday’s final. The Guardian reports that the pre-game show will also feature Robbie Williams, Jennifer Hudson and streamer IShowSpeed as part of a wider entertainment lineup.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpmgYhNYWYs

The ceremony is scheduled to take place 90 minutes before the final. FIFA described the show as a celebration of the 48 teams’ journey through 16 host cities across three countries. That framing matters because this World Cup format has been larger and more geographically spread than previous editions, and the closing ceremony is being positioned as a recap of the whole tournament rather than only a curtain-raiser for the final.

Why it matters: The football consequence is indirect but real. Final day is no longer only a matchday operation; it is a global broadcast event with a long pre-game window, heavy staging demands and a message FIFA wants to control. A lineup featuring Hollywood, mainstream music and internet streaming culture shows how broadly FIFA is trying to package the final. Cruise brings film-world recognition, Williams and Hudson bring stadium-scale performance profiles, and IShowSpeed points to younger, online-first audiences.

Tournament impact: The key sporting detail is timing. A ceremony 90 minutes before the final should leave separation between entertainment and match preparation, but it still affects the rhythm of the day for broadcasters, stadium operations and fans in attendance. The final itself remains the competitive centre, yet the surrounding show is part of how the tournament will be remembered, especially for casual viewers who join only at the end.

The announcement also underlines the scale of FIFA’s expanded tournament story. A 48-team competition across 16 cities and three countries creates a different kind of closing narrative. FIFA’s statement, as reported by the Guardian, leans into that breadth: not just two finalists, but the full tournament route that brought the event to Sunday.

What to watch: The unresolved details are performance order, specific roles and how much screen time each announced name receives. Cruise being “among names set to take part” does not, by itself, define whether his appearance is live, filmed, ceremonial or tied to a specific segment. The same caution applies to the broader lineup until FIFA or broadcast partners release a fuller running order.

Confidence: Confirmed by the source: FIFA announced the closing ceremony lineup, Tom Cruise is included, Robbie Williams, Jennifer Hudson and IShowSpeed are also named, and the show is planned for 90 minutes before Sunday’s final. Still requiring follow-up: the exact format of each appearance, the performance sequence and any additional ceremony participants.