Italian music icon Laura Pausini will bring her voice to one of the world’s largest sporting stages when she performs during the closing ceremony of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The event is scheduled for Sunday, July 19, at New York New Jersey Stadium, the tournament name for MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The ceremony will begin at 1:30 p.m. local time, 90 minutes before the final’s scheduled 3 p.m. kickoff. Pausini will join British singer Robbie Williams and American performer Nicole Scherzinger for a rendition of “Desire,” FIFA’s official anthem. She performs the song’s Spanish-language section, adding an Italian voice to an international production built around two of the world’s most widely spoken languages.
The 2026 appearance reunites the three singers after they introduced “Desire” together in the New York area in 2025. Pausini said she was proud to represent Italy during a celebration designed to unite music, soccer and audiences worldwide.
FIFA’s closing program will feature several entertainment figures. Williams, Scherzinger and Pausini will be joined by digital creator IShowSpeed, while actor Tom Cruise is scheduled to make a special appearance. The ceremony will be broadcast internationally immediately before the championship match.
The performance crowns a historic tournament jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Expanded from 32 to 48 national teams, the competition comprises 104 matches – 40 more than the 64 played at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The New Jersey venue is hosting 8 matches, including the final.
For Pausini, a Grammy-winning artist with a career spanning more than 30 years, the engagement represents another milestone in her global journey. Her participation places Italian music at the heart of a finale expected to attract an enormous worldwide television audience and tens of thousands of spectators inside the stadium.
