Former Take That icon Robbie Williams is among a number of major music stars set to take the stage at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey next month for the 2026 World Cup final
Robbie Williams will perform at the World Cup final in 2026(Image: Getty Images)
Robbie Williams will bring some English spirit to 2026 World Cup in FIFA finale as main artist. The cheeky former Take That star will appear at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday July 19, regardless of whether the Three Lions make it all the way or not.
He will be performing as part of the half-time festivities – which have been curated by Coldplay star Chris Martin. The Angels singer will share the spotlight as he performs for millions of fans around world – with whom he will duet with the Italian pop star Laura Pausini, 52.
Robbie, also 52, and Laura has been given the honor of singing the FIFA football song Desire. And the pair are tipped to sing to the delight of billions as football fans from around the world tune in to watch the final two teams battle it out for supremacy and win the FIFA World Cup trophy – and an impressive $51m (£38m) prize money.
Robbie’s involvement in the ceremony was announced on Sunday, with a source sharing that the star is “excited” to attend. They told The sun: “Robbie loves football and is excited to play at this important gig. Of course he hopes England will be one of the teams in the final.”
The Mirror has contacted representatives for Robbie Williams for comment. The rock DJ singer will join a host of big stars who have also been booked to perform at the glitzy half-time event.
Music icon Madonna, K-pop boy band BTS and World Cup mascot Shakira are also set to perform. The 2026 competition will be hosted by the United States – with matches also taking place in Canada and Mexico. Opening ceremonies for all three nations took place as the tournament kicked off earlier this month.
Fans were wowed on June 11 when Shakira and Burna Boy helped kick things off at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City ahead of the opening match of the 2026 competition. Brightly dressed Mexican dancers helped spread a message of unity and diversity as 48 international teams prepared to begin their campaigns for the trophy.
A number of musicians took to the stage to entertain the crowd watching in the stadium and those watching from home. Maná performed the song Oye Mi Amor, while Danny Ocean performed Partidazo.
This was followed by a performance of Por Ella by Los Ángeles Azules and Belinda, before a series of songs were belted out by J Balvin and Ryan Castro. Headliners Shakira and Burna Boy then closed the opening ceremony with the official 2026 Fifa World Cup song Dai Dai – with an impressive fireworks display ending the celebrations.
A flag ceremony then showcased all 48 nations taking part – while Andrea Bocelli and Ejae performed the tournament’s official anthem DNA (More Than a Game). Tyla then performed South Africa’s national anthem, while Alejandro Fernández sang the Mexican national anthem – where the two nations would be the first to play, with Mexico coming out on top.
A similar opening ceremony took place in Canada on June 12 at the BMO Field stadium in Toronto. Alessia Cara performed the numbers Wild Things and Here, while dancers created images of a moose, polar bear and humpback whale to celebrate animals native to Canada.
Nora Fatehi, Vegedream and Sanjoy then performed Siir Siir and Jessie Reyez and Elyanna performed the number Illuminate. Music legend Michael Bublé joined The Sole Power Choir to sing Bring It On Home to Me – while Alanis Morissette sang the Canadian national anthem and Aleksandar Gajić, a Yugoslav violinist, performed the Bosnian and Herzegovina national anthem.
On the same day, an opening ceremony took place at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles as America and Paraguay prepared to take the field. Future and Tyla performed Game Time while surrounded by dancers dressed in red, white, blue.
Lisa, Anitta and Rema performed a song called Goals – duck Katy Perry and Tius Luka debuted a new song called Wonder. The US National Anthem was performed by Dan + Shay, while Purahéi Soul performed the Paraguayan National Anthem before the match.
According to FIFA, 2.9 billion viewers worldwide tuned in to watch the 2022 World Cup final – with a similar, and possibly larger, audience expected to watch the grand final this year. England remain in the competition after qualifying in Group L alongside Ghana and Croatia. Unfortunately, the Scottish team were sent home after the opening matches in Group C – with Brazil and Morocco further in that group.
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