Key events
Here comes Ted Lasso and Coach Beard to introduce …Justin Bieber. Bieber is 32 now, so is unlikely to win a professional football contract. Good voice though!
BTS are their usual professional, excellent selves as they belt out Dynamite. They may have played one or two stadium gigs in their time. They get more air time than Madonna, but fewer Brazilian World Cup winners.
Animal is on the drums as they play Seven Nation Army. OK, this is now an excellent halftime show. Forget any previous criticism I had of it. In fact, just stop it here. After a quick Viking Row, BTS are on – with no Animal.
And we’re on Madonna is on a car driven by Ronaldo (the Brazilian one) and … Ronaldinho. I hope they have travel insurance because that car doesn’t look that roadworthy. They’re driving on to the field now. Ronaldo looks very happy to be there.
They’ve rolled out a big tarp at the New York New Jersey Stadium as they prepare the field for the performance. It’s been a great day for tarps at today’s final.
Just a reminder that the halftime show will last 25 to 30 minutes. Around 11 minutes for the actual show and the rest of the time to set up the stage and then take it all down. There are worries that the added down time for players could lead to injuries as muscles cool down due to inactivity. On the upside, they’ll get to hear Justin Bieber sing for about 90 seconds.
The list of artists includes:
Shakira; Burna Boy; BTS; Madonna; Kermit and Miss Piggy; conductor Gustavo Dudamel with musicians from the New York Philharmonic and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela; dance troupe Ghetto Kids; Emmanuel Kelly; PS 22 Chorus (cute kids from a local school).
Alexander Abnos
The half-time show approaches, which means uber-warmup man Bruce “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble” Buffer is back, and he is yelling very loud. Talk about someone who should be booed
Does the World Cup final need a halftime show?
The argument for the halftime show seems to be that it’s what new fans want. James Massing of Live Nation, who are helping put on the show, told the BBC that sports events need to change things up because they are “competing with any other live experience – going to the museum, going to the theatre, going to the cinema”.
I’m pretty sure no one going to the museum expects a halftime show though, and people are still happy to queue up to see the Mona Lisa without one. I suspect that this is also a push by people who think that US fans will refuse to watch a big event unless it has a halftime show, even though plenty of big sporting events, from the NBA finals to the World Series don’t have halftime shows. I actually think the appeal of soccer to many Americans is that it’s not the NFL, in the same way that many European fans enjoy the NFL because it’s not soccer.
And people expect a halftime show at the Super Bowl because it’s the Super Bowl, not because they expect – or want – one at a World Cup final. Added to that, the best Super Bowl halftime shows often provide commentary on the state of America, from Bad Bunny’s hymn to immigrants at this year’s Super Bowl to Beyonce’s black panther tribute in 2016. Somehow, I doubt Gianni and friends are going to allow Shakira to sneak in references to the Iran War today.
On the upside, all the artists are performing for free, there will be a kids choir and the show is meant to support Fifa’s education fund.
Sam Jones
Madrid’s Plaza de Colón, famous for its massive Spanish flag, is absolutely rammed as the match begins. Police are turning people away from the barriers that have been installed around the square, but the mood inside it somewhere between expectant and buoyant.
No one wants to hex the game but hopes are high.
“It’s a historic moment and it’s really exciting,” said Katy, 18, who was two years old the last time Spain won the World Cup. “I’m obviously hoping that Spain win and I think it’ll be 3-2 to Spain.”
Miguel Hinojal Vicente, 37, had come to Madrid from Toledo as much for the party atmosphere as for the match itself.
Unlike Katy, he had vivid memories of Spain’s last World Cup triumph. “Shit, it was just a magical thing,” he said. “But, to tell the truth, I’m more of a Atleti fan than a Spain fan.”
His friend Raquel Garcia was a little more enthusiastic – and optimistic.
She predicted a 3-0 win for Spain, with two goals in the first half and one in the second.
But it was about more than just football for her. “This is about the hopes of a country and it’s about unity,” she said. “Events like these bring people together and they make people happy.”
Rusty Shpork gets in touch: “Are any of the online prediction markets taking bets on the exact minute Trump nods off? I’m going with the 27th minute, after he’s exhausted himself rage-bleating on Truth Social during the first commercial break about the large number of “probably illegal” Latinos in the stadium. If Spain win, Trump will probably try to present the trophy to Messi, anyway. Brand recognition, yada yada.”
The TV cameras show Will Ferrell in the stands before cutting to Pharell Williams. I don’t know if that was deliberate but the Fereell/Pharell cut was sonically pleasing.
A little more on Trump’s appearance at the final today. He wasn’t booed by the crowd, but perhaps Fifa knows if they don’t show him, he can’t be booed:
And the match kicks off only six minutes late. We’ll be updating periodically here but the actual match action will here on our match liveblog. We’ll be back for the halftime show:
The Spanish national anthem is being played by a Spanish brass band. A lovely, slow number that perhaps doesn’t lead to the high intensity rendition you want in a huge moment. I bet the Argentina one will be a bit more peppy … it is! Argentinian singer Maria Becerra leads the fans in the stands to a rousing rendition. All the Spanish fans got was some dudes with some tubas and trumpets. Way more Argentinian fans than Spaniards in the crowd, by the way. Kick off is already two minutes late, by the way…
Alexander Abnos
The Spanish and Argentinian fans absolutely do not care about any of this. About halfway through, they have started singing their own songs and drowning out whatever it is that Tom Cruise is going on about.
Tom Cruise is out to do some acting! He is playing a man in a tight black t-shirt telling us a story about the World Cup being good. This is great acting because he is convincing as a man in a tight black t-shirt telling us a story about the World Cup being good. He even shows his versatility by saying the teams are España and Argentina. He does not jump off a high place or do anything with wires or creep us out by jumping on a sofa though. Can’t have everything.
Here’s Carlos Alcaraz! With the World Cup trophy and World Cup winners Andres Iniesta and Marrio Kempes. The stadium announcer makes sure to tell us that it’s presented by some luxury brand or other.
Trump is shown on the TV and appears to be booed, although that could just have been people booing Robbie Williams, who is now singing along with Nicole Scherzinger and Laura Pausini. Trump wasn’t shown on the jumbotron at the stadium, so I’m assuming maybe people just don’t like Robbie – and the poor guy hasn’t even started any wars (yet?).
And here’s the Star-Spangled Banner. World class singer Jennifer Hudson somewhat unsurprisingly sings it very well. Is the band out of sync? Maybe, but these anthem performances are often so extravagant, I’m never sure if they’re supposed to be like that. Anyway, headline: Jennifer Hudson can sing.
And now the second-half of the closing ceremony (yes, there are two halfs of this) starts. Jennifer Hudson will sing the Star-Spangled Banner. Actually, it’s been delayed – I suspect this match may not be kicking off on time…
ITV reports that there has been a glitch with the ticketing system, meaning there have been delays for some of the fans who have paid eye-watering sums to get to this match today. There are still a few empty seats in the stands…
Donald Trump has managed to sneak into the stadium without any fans noticing:
Bob O’Hara writes in: “Just catching up, and that building Alexander Abnos couldn’t recognise? Could it be Trump Tower?”
That would make sense given Gianni’s preferences …
Professional Spain fan and sometime actor Javier Bardem is here today.
The English-language coverage of this summer’s World Cup was on Fox, which went from terrible in 2022 to merely not terrible this time around. You can read more with Aaron Timms’s excellent rundown:
If you think the various controversies that have engulfed Fifa president Gianni Infantino during this World Cup – from his Peace Prize for Donald Trump to the suspension of Folarin Balogun’s red card to the high price of tickets – will have any negative effect on his reign, then think again. The fact is that he is very good at making money for Fifa, and that’s enough for most of the organization’s representatives. Here’s a little more on the subject in our video explainer:
An organization called The Final Red Card is arranging a protest around today’s final. According to the organization:
“During today’s Fifa World Cup Final, thousands of fans are expected to raise commemorative referee-style red cards in a coordinated, peaceful visual action during the tournament’s trophy presentation, transforming soccer’s most universally recognized symbol into a global call for democracy, accountability, and a repudiation of Trump’s corruption.
“The action, titled The Final Red Card, is being organized by a coalition of artists, organizers, and advocacy organizations led by SoundsGood, the campaign activation studio behind the nationally covered Flags in the Stands: ICE OUT activation during Super Bowl LX, together with Contra-ICE, Make the Road New Jersey, 50501, People vs. The Machine, South Asians for America, Way to Win, Movement Voter Project, and additional national and local partners.”
Alexander Abnos
Marine One has just flown over the stadium with two escort helicopters
An email from Justin Kavanagh: “Four years ago, Fifa allowed the hosts to politicize the award of the World Cup by having Messi receive the trophy in a traditional black and gold Arab cloak – a bisht. I can easily imagine today’s ungracious host insisting on the trophy being lifted by the winning captain wearing a red MAGA hat. I hope I’m wrong. But if not, I’d love to see that captain – either Messi or Rodri, take their medals then lead his team over to his supporters and ask them to present him one of their life-size replicas to parade around with, while Infantino and Trump are left to stew on the stage. Symbolism matters, especially at such a globally televised event. That we could be even contemplating such a scenario in the hours before a World Cup Final tells you all you’ll ever need to know about the shoddy, self-dealing stewardship of “the people’s game” under Gianni Infantino.”
The chances of Messi making a political statement? Not great:
Rodri, on the other hand …
Weather watch
The New York area has been swamped by smoke from Canadian wildfires for much of the last few days but, after storms last night, the air is clear (by local standards). Temperatures will be around 82F/28C at kickoff, nowhere near as sweltering as we saw for France v Paraguay or England v Norway, so it’s unlikely conditions will affect the players – particularly as Spanish and Argentinians players will be used to playing in the heat.
Wondering why New Jersey is hosting the World Cup final rather than more glamorous locations? Look no further than our explainer:
Alexander Abnos
The White House press pool has arrived at the stadium, which caused the temporary closure of every ramp and staircase on the north side of the stadium. The president is presumably quite close by.
Will Trump be booed today?
Arguments for yes: Iran, ICE, Canada, Greenland, Israel, Palestine, trans policy, immigration policy, economic policy, voting rights, race policy, environmental policy. crypto policy, possibly cheating at golf, football fans like booing people.
Arguments for no: people have paid a lot for their tickets and may not want to kick up a fuss.
Has he been booed at sports events before? Well …
Streamer IShowSpeed, probably more famous than 98% of the players at this World Cup, is performing too. It’s probably not even watching the match now that he’s been on.
Post Malone has rocked up to perform at the closing ceremony, which is now taking place. Swae Lee joins him for toe tapper Sunflower.
Just a reminder that the halftime show will last 25 to 30 minutes. Around 11 minutes for the actual show and the rest of the time to set up the stage and then take it all down. There are worries that the added down time for players could lead to injuries as muscles cool down due to inactivity. On the upside, they’ll get to hear Justin Bieber sing for about 90 seconds.
The list of artists includes:
Shakira; Burna Boy; BTS; Madonna; Kermit and Miss Piggy; conductor Gustavo Dudamel with musicians from the New York Philharmonic and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela; dance troupe Ghetto Kids; Emmanuel Kelly; PS 22 Chorus (cute kids from a local school).
Facundo Iglesia is on the ground for us in Buenos Aires to take in the atmosphere among Argentina fans:
Argentines can’t be accused of tempering their trademark intensity – or their superstitions – in the hours leading up to the World Cup final. On the eve of the match, thousands of people – mostly parents with their children – flocked to Buenos Aires’ Parque Rivadavia to trade or buy Panini stickers, racing to fill their albums just in time. Many tucked stickers of the Spanish players into freezers, an accessible, popularized bit of witchcraft meant to curse the opposing squad.
Now, on the day of the final, under a persistent drizzle, hundreds are waving flags and blowing vuvuzelas at the Obelisco – the city’s designated meeting point to celebrate the national team, whatever the result may be. The streets leading to the monument are packed with fans and street vendors hawking flags, face paint, and plastic ponchos.
María de las Nieves López, a Paraguayan pizzeria owner who traveled from Ezeiza, a city 35 kilometers outside the capital, wasn’t fazed by the rain or the lack of a screen near the monument.
“It’s Lio [Messi]’s last one. We wanted to come and cheer him and the rest of the squad on – to support them from here. We’ll watch the game on our phones if we have to,” she said.
López, who has lived in the country for 25 years, carried a 20-year-old doll she credits with bringing “good luck,” because it “had watched all the games.”
“Well, we’ve been winning so far,” she said. “I promised her that, if Argentina wins the final, I’ll buy her a new dress.”
The closing ceremony is off to a good start. Or rather not start at all. It was supposed to get underway 90 mins before kickoff but is yet to do so. There are often delays when Donald Trump attends sporting events as the arena is secured. It’s unclear as yet whether kickoff will be delayed. I’m sure they can scrap some bits of this closing ceremony to hurry things along. No one will mind if Robbie Williams is bumped, surely?
Alexander Abnos is at the stadium for us, and has some team news (sort of):
Spain have just entered the stadium and are wandering around in the center of the field. A team of Fifa volunteers are gathered holding what looks to be a very large tarp, which presumably will be a key part of the closing ceremony. I think Spain team may have to move….
And here comes the tarp! It’s an artistic and frankly kinda tacky composite of a number of New York City landmarks. Clockwise from bottom left on your TV screens: The new Calatrava train hub at World Trade Center, 1 World Trade, The Brooklyn Bridge, the Empire State Building, The Vessel, some building I don’t recognize, the Guggenheim, the Chrysler Building, the Statue of Liberty, 30 Rock, the Washington Square arch, the Flatiron building.
Good news from Fifa! There will be a “fan-centric pre-match ceremony” today, which means “an immersive, 360-degree concept that transforms the stadium into a shared stage. No matter where supporters are seated, each will have a distinct and engaging perspective, with extra-large country flag banners and on-pitch elements carefully positioned to involve the crowd in an authentic and meaningful way.”
I bet there’s a hologram. There is always a hologram. It gets better though. At long last, Fifa is going to pay attention to its poor, neglected sponsors: “the youth programme and players’ tunnel will feature both traditional and new integrations of FIFA’s Commercial Partners, thanks to the involvement of adidas, Coca-Cola, Kia, Mengniu, Qatar Airways and Quaker.” At first, I read that as “quakers” and I was expecting a silent prayer meeting, which would have been quite nice.
The pre-match ceremony will also include “additional elements such as coloured smoke or pyrotechnics.” Coloured smoke OR pyrotechnics? $5,000 a ticket and you don’t even get both? This better be a good game.
Kevin Hart is required by federal law to attend any event in the US that draws a crowd of more than 598 people. Therefore, Kevin Hart is at today’s final.
Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan says the World Cup has generated around $20bn of economic activity in the US, roughly the equivalent of the price of three tickets to today’s final. It should be noted that the figures sporting events generate are often dubious at best:
Preamble
Hello. And welcome to our Everything But The Football liveblog of the World Cup final, which suddenly becomes a little more relevant now that Fifa has decided to turn the World Cup final into a Super Bowl (allegedly one of 104 Super Bowls at this year’s tournament!).
What has Gianni and Co got lined up for you? Well, we’ll have:
1) Very popular and smart and eloquent president Donald Trump turning up to be booed by people who have paid good money to do so (see also: the 2026 NBA finals, the 2017 World Series, the 2025 Ryder Cup, the 2025 US Open tennis men’s final and a random Washington Commanders game last season):
We’ll also have a half-time show, featuring BTS, Shakira, Madonna, Burna Boy and Justin Bieber all watched over by curator of loving grace, Chris Martin.
But first! We’ll have a closing ceremony starting 90 minutes before kickoff, starring streamer IShowSpeed and various celebrities who were last cutting edge at least 25 years ago, including Nicole Scherzinger; Robbie Williams and Tom Cruise. There is a 90% chance Cruise will jump off something high (Gianni’s forehead?).
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2026/jul/19/world-cup-final-trump-halftime-show-shakira-bts-madonna-everything-but-football
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