World Cup final feature first ever halftime entertainment

The 2026 FIFA World Cup final, featuring Argentina and Spain, will be held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday, July 19, with kickoff scheduled for 3 p.m. ET. The championship match, the culmination of the first World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will be preceded by a significant break from tradition: a star-studded pre-match ceremony and a first-ever halftime show, marking a major shift toward American-style entertainment spectacles.

The pre-match festivities are set to begin at approximately 2:15 p.m. ET. As part of the official closing ceremony, performers will include Robbie Williams and Jennifer Hudson, who is scheduled to sing the U.S. national anthem. This inclusion is a nod to the host nation, as the anthem is not typically performed at finals unless the United States is a competitor. The national anthems of finalists Argentina and Spain will also be played separately as part of the standard protocol before kickoff.

The most notable innovation is the dedicated halftime entertainment segment, a first for a World Cup final. The show, curated by Coldplay's Chris Martin, is expected to feature performances by pop icons...