British pop star and FIFA’s first-ever Music Ambassador Robbie Williams took to the stage alongside Laura Pausini and Nicole Scherzinger during the 2026 World Cup’s closing ceremony
14:31 ET, 19 Jul 2026Updated 15:30 ET, 19 Jul 2026
The FIFA World Cup closing ceremony was plunged into chaos as audience members fumed that Robbie Williams had been “axed.”(Image: Getty Images)
The FIFA World Cup closing ceremony was plunged into chaos as audience members were left confused over Robbie Williams’ delayed performance.
On Sunday, July 19, ahead of the World Cup final between Spain and defending champions Argentina, the British pop star took to the stage at New York-New Jersey Stadium alongside Italian pop star Laura Pausini and Pussycat Dolls frontwoman Nicole Scherzinger for a rendition of the official FIFA anthem Desire. However, ahead of the performance, sports journalist Daniel Storey took to X to inform his followers of a major development.
According to the journalist, the stage equipment for the closing ceremony had been “removed from the pitch” and that Williams’ fans would be angry, as they’d paid a lot of money to come see him. However, minutes later, Williams, Scherzinger, and Pausini took to the stage. This comes as prediction markets estimated which song Shakira would perform first during the World Cup halftime show.
Storey said on X, “All the closing ceremony stuff removed from the pitch. Not quite sure if it has been cut short, but thousands of people here have paid thousands of dollars specifically to see Robbie Williams. There’s going to be hell to pay.”
In the comments of Storey’s post, one person wrote, “Right??? I had to sign up for the Fox One app. Where tf is Robbie???” Another fumed, “They’ll cram it into the 50 min long half time show.” A third slammed, “Please sue @FIFAcom,” as another raged, “Very droll.”
Pop star Robbie Williams, Laura Pausini and Pussycat Dolls frontwoman Nicole Scherzinger’s World Cup performance was reportedly delayed
The World Cup final featured two live performances: the closing ceremony and the half-time show, with Jennifer Hudson singing the National Anthem before the match.
The 52-year-old performer previously made headlines at the 2018 World Cup during his opening performance in Moscow when he showed his middle finger to the camera while singing his 2000 hit Rock DJ. In 2025, he was named the official FIFA Music Ambassador before co-writing and recording Desire.
The closing ceremony also featured appearances from actor Tom Cruise, and will have singer Post Malone as the headliner during the halftime show, along with streamer iShowSpeed.
The halftime show was curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin and features performances from Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira, Gustavo Dudamel, and BTS.
Robbie Williams, Laura Pausini, and Pussycat Dolls frontwoman Nicole Scherzinger opened the World Cup closing ceremony on July 19(Image: Javier Garcia/Shutterstock)
Shakira has a longstanding association with the World Cup. As fans waited for the grand performance, Polymarket betters backed Dai Dai as the first song the singer would perform during the FIFA World Cup final halftime show, at 82%. The singer teamed up with Burna Boy for Dai Dai, the official song of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Following the first pick, others think Hips Don’t Lie has a 6% chance of being the first song, while Chantaje has a 4.6% chance. Meanwhile, Coldplay’s Viva La Vida firmly sits at 5%.
Ahead of the final match, FIFA’s Chief Operating Officer released a statement, which read, “Echoing the spirit of the opening ceremonies, which welcomed the world to the greatest stage in Canada, Mexico and the United States, the closing ceremony will bring the FIFA World Cup 2026 full circle through music, culture and football, before we kick off the highly anticipated match that will crown the champions of this groundbreaking tournament.”
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