Laura Pausini, the Grammy-winning Italian singer, joins Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger for the FIFA anthem “Desire” ahead of Sunday’s final between Argentina and Spain. The star-studded send-off also features Tom Cruise, Jennifer Hudson and a Coldplay-curated half-time show.
Laura Pausini will take to the stage at the FIFA World Cup 2026 closing ceremony this Sunday, bringing an unmistakably Italian voice to one of the biggest stages in world sport.
The ceremony will be held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, ahead of the tournament final between Argentina and Spain. Pausini joins a star-studded line-up that includes Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger and a special appearance from Tom Cruise. Jennifer Hudson will perform the American national anthem before kick-off.
A reunion built around “Desire”
Pausini will reunite with Williams and Scherzinger to perform “Desire”, the official FIFA World Cup anthem written by Williams, which Pausini adapted into a Spanish-language version. The trio previously brought the song to the stage together at the tournament’s Final Draw in Washington DC last year.
Pausini has said she is proud to carry an Italian voice into the celebration, and has spoken of her excitement at sharing the moment with football fans around the world.
The closing ceremony begins at 1.30pm local time, 90 minutes ahead of kick-off, and will double as a farewell to the 48 competing nations following weeks of matches played across Canada, Mexico and the United States. It will be followed by the first ever half-time show staged at a men’s World Cup final, curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin and featuring performances from Madonna, Shakira, BTS and Justin Bieber.
Part of a packed year on the world stage
The MetLife appearance continues a run of high-profile international engagements for Pausini, who recently wrapped the Latin American leg of her World Tour 2026/2027 — her eleventh world tour — in New York. The tour resumes in the autumn across Italy and Europe.
Pausini previously performed at the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics earlier this year.
