Cruise, Madonna, Shakira, and Bieber in “The Greatest Show”

East Rutherford - AFP - The announced artistic spectacle lives up to the magnitude of an extraordinary World Cup: from Tom Cruise to Madonna, and including Justin Bieber, Shakira, and BTS, MetLife Stadium near New York will transform into the “greatest stage in the world” during the final match between Spain and Argentina tomorrow, Sunday.

After five weeks of competition, 104 matches played across three countries (Mexico, the United States, and Canada), and featuring 48 national teams for the first time, the FIFA World Cup will finally reveal its champion.

But before it is known whether “La Albiceleste,” led by Lionel Messi, or “La Roja,” led by Lamine Yamal, will be crowned champions, 80,000 spectators in the stadium and billions of viewers worldwide will watch a parade of stars during the opening ceremony, followed by the musical halftime show attended by U.S. President Donald Trump.

In the first part of the celebrations, which begins at 1:30 p.m. local time (6:30 p.m. GMT), Tom Cruise is expected to appear. After descending on ropes during the Olympic flag handover ceremony between Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 at the Stade de France, what the Hollywood star will present to the audience this time remains under wraps.

Robbie Williams, Laura Pausini, and Nicole Scherzinger, performers of the official tournament anthem “Desire,” will also be present. Content creator “IShowSpeed,” who has 160 million followers, has also been invited, as well as rapper Post Malone. Academy Award-winning singer and actress Jennifer Hudson will perform the U.S. national anthem.

However, the second part, an 11-minute musical halftime show, has generated the most anticipation. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has promised it will be the “greatest stage in history.”

During this show, inspired by Super Bowl halftime spectacles and directed by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, featuring a diverse, multi-generational international cast, American star Madonna, who recently released a new album at age 67, will share the stage with Canadian Justin Bieber, South Korean K-pop group BTS, and Shakira, who has extensive experience in World Cup events.

Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel and a choir from New York will accompany Coldplay in this event, which aims to raise funds for an educational program run by FIFA and the non-governmental organization Global Citizen, co-founded by Chris Martin.

The question remains: Will this show exceed the official 15-minute halftime break in football matches? The announced 11-minute duration may effectively be longer, given the time required to set up and remove the stage decorations.

During the Club World Cup final held at the same venue last year, the halftime break lasted slightly more than 24 minutes to allow for a similar show.