IShowSpeed kicks off World Cup closing ceremony in blaze of colour

Robbie Williams, Tom Cruise and Jennifer Hudson among stars at World Cup closing ceremony

The 2026 World Cup closing ceremony kicked off with a range of performances, including Jennifer Hudson singing the national anthem and a speech from actor Tom Cruise.

Streamer IShowSpeed took to the field at the New York New Jersey Stadium first, alongside drummers and dancers in vibrant tracksuits.

Nicole Scherzinger, Robbie Williams and Italian Singer Laura Pausini also performed together, while rapper and singer Post Malone also performed his hit song Wow.

More than 80,000 fans, celebrities and foreign dignitaries are expected to have packed the stadium for Sunday's final between Spain and Argentina.

Ahead of kick-off, multi-award-winning singer and actor Jennifer Hudson performed the US national anthem, accompanied by a live band.

After the performances, Tom Cruise took to the stage to introduce the match.

"From every corner of the globe, we have witnessed greatness, and we have shared in moments of joy," he told the crowd. "Football is a language spoken without words, a force that unites people."

Italian singer Pausini told the BBC's Carl Nasman that she's "very excited" and "proud" to be performing alongside Williams and Scherzinger at the closing ceremony.

"When Robbie [Williams] invited me to sing with him, I felt goosebumps everywhere because Robbie's one of my favorite singer, songwriter, and performer," Pausini told the BBC.

The celebrity line-up will continue at half-time with performances by Madonna, Justin Bieber, Shakira and BTS.

Madonna, the best-selling female music artist of all time, is set to perform after the launch of her new album, Confessions II, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart in July.

Bieber also returned to the spotlight earlier this year, with his biggest live performance in four years at the Coachella music festival after cancelling his Justice world tour because of health issues.

Colombian pop star Shakira and Nigerian musician Burna Boy will reunite on stage after performing together at the tournament's opening ceremony in Mexico City last month.

Their collaboration, Dai Dai, has been a global chart hit and has been a fixture in stadiums throughout the tournament.

K-Pop group BTS will also perform after making their comeback from a three-year music hiatus to complete their mandatory military service in South Korea. The band is currently in the midst of an 85-date world tour.

The half-time break is expected to last 20-25 minutes, with Fifa saying the Super-Bowl-style performance will take 11 minutes.

It has been curated by Coldplay's Chris Martin and will raise money for the Fifa Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative working to raise $100m (£73m) for children worldwide.