The Spanish national anthem is being played by a Spanish brass band. A lovely, slow number that perhaps doesn\u2019t lead to the high intensity rendition you want in a huge moment. I bet the Argentina one will be a bit more peppy \u2026 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\u2026<\/p>\n
Share<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 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<\/a> 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 Espa\u00f1a 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\u2019t have everything.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.56 EDT<\/p>\n Here\u2019s Carlos Alcaraz! With the World Cup<\/a> trophy and World Cup winners Andres Iniesta and Marrio Kempes. The stadium announcer makes sure to tell us that it\u2019s presented by some luxury brand or other.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 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\u2019t shown on the jumbotron at the stadium, so I\u2019m assuming maybe people just don\u2019t like Robbie \u2013 and the poor guy hasn\u2019t even started any wars (yet?).<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.50 EDT<\/p>\n And here\u2019s 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\u2019m never sure if they\u2019re supposed to be like that. Anyway, headline: Jennifer Hudson can sing.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 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\u2019s been delayed \u2013 I suspect this match may not be kicking off on time\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 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\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Donald Trump has managed to sneak into the stadium without any fans noticing:<\/p>\n The Marine One helicopter carrying Donald Trump, and an escort helicopter, fly over the stadium. Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Bob O\u2019Hara writes in: \u201cJust catching up, and that building Alexander Abnos couldn\u2019t recognise? Could it be Trump Tower?\u201d<\/p>\n That would make sense given Gianni\u2019s preferences \u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Professional Spain fan and sometime actor Javier Bardem is here today.<\/p>\n Javier Bardem arrives for the match. Photograph: Arturo Holmes\/FIFA\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n The English-language coverage of this summer\u2019s World Cup<\/a> was on Fox, which went from terrible in 2022 to merely not terrible this time around. You can read more with Aaron Timms\u2019s excellent rundown:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n If you think the various controversies that have engulfed Fifa president Gianni Infantino during this World Cup \u2013 from his Peace Prize for Donald Trump<\/a> to the suspension of Folarin Balogun\u2019s red card to the high price of tickets \u2013 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\u2019s enough for most of the organization\u2019s representatives. Here\u2019s a little more on the subject in our video explainer:<\/p>\n An organization called The Final Red Card is arranging a protest around today\u2019s final. According to the organization:<\/p>\n \u201cDuring today\u2019s Fifa World Cup<\/a> Final, thousands of fans are expected to raise commemorative referee-style red cards in a coordinated, peaceful visual action during the tournament\u2019s trophy presentation, transforming soccer\u2019s most universally recognized symbol into a global call for democracy, accountability, and a repudiation of Trump\u2019s corruption.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a> Marine One has just flown over the stadium with two escort helicopters<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n An email from Justin Kavanagh: \u201cFour 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> \u2013 a bisht. I can easily imagine today\u2019s ungracious host insisting on the trophy being lifted by the winning captain wearing a red MAGA hat. I hope I\u2019m wrong. But if not, I\u2019d love to see that captain \u2013 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\u2019ll ever need to know about the shoddy, self-dealing stewardship of \u201cthe people\u2019s game\u201d under Gianni Infantino.\u201d<\/p>\n The chances of Messi making a political statement? Not great:<\/p>\n Rodri, on the other hand \u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Weather watch<\/p>\n 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\u2019s unlikely conditions will affect the players \u2013 particularly as Spanish and Argentinians players will be used to playing in the heat.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Wondering why New Jersey is hosting the World Cup<\/a> final rather than more glamorous locations? Look no further than our explainer:<\/p>\n Share<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Will Trump be booed today?<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Arguments for no: people have paid a lot for their tickets and may not want to kick up a fuss.<\/p>\n Has he been booed at sports events before? Well \u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Streamer IShowSpeed, probably more famous than 98% of the players at this World Cup<\/a>, is performing too. It\u2019s probably not even watching the match now that he\u2019s been on.<\/p>\n IShowSpeed performs during the closing ceremony. Photograph: H\u00e9ctor Vivas\/FIFA\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Post Malone has rocked up to perform at the closing ceremony, which is now taking place. Swae Lee joins him for toe tapper Sunflower.<\/p>\n Post Malone and Swae Lee perform during the closing ceremony. Photograph: Alex Pantling\/FIFA\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n 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\u2019ll get to hear Justin Bieber sing for about 90 seconds.<\/p>\n The list of artists includes:<\/p>\n 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).<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.33 EDT<\/p>\n Facundo Iglesia is on the ground for us in Buenos Aires to take in the atmosphere among Argentina fans:<\/p>\n Argentines can\u2019t be accused of tempering their trademark intensity \u2013 or their superstitions \u2013 in the hours leading up to the World Cup<\/a> final. On the eve of the match, thousands of people – mostly parents with their children \u2013 flocked to Buenos Aires\u2019 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.<\/p>\n Now, on the day of the final, under a persistent drizzle, hundreds are waving flags and blowing vuvuzelas at the Obelisco – the city\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Mar\u00eda de las Nieves L\u00f3pez, a Paraguayan pizzeria owner who traveled from Ezeiza, a city 35 kilometers outside the capital, wasn\u2019t fazed by the rain or the lack of a screen near the monument.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s Lio [Messi]\u2019s last one. We wanted to come and cheer him and the rest of the squad on – to support them from here. We\u2019ll watch the game on our phones if we have to,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n L\u00f3pez, who has lived in the country for 25 years, carried a 20-year-old doll she credits with bringing \u201cgood luck,\u201d because it \u201chad watched all the games.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, we\u2019ve been winning so far,\u201d she said. \u201cI promised her that, if Argentina wins the final, I\u2019ll buy her a new dress.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 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<\/a> attends sporting events as the arena is secured. It\u2019s unclear as yet whether kickoff will be delayed. I\u2019m sure they can scrap some bits of this closing ceremony to hurry things along. No one will mind if Robbie Williams is bumped, surely?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Alexander Abnos is at the stadium for us, and has some team news (sort of):<\/p>\n Spain have just entered the stadium and are wandering around in the center of the field. A team of Fifa<\/a> 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….<\/p>\n The world\u2019s most famous tarp in action. Photograph: Elsa\/Getty Images<\/p>\n And here comes the tarp! It\u2019s 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\u2019t recognize, the Guggenheim, the Chrysler Building, the Statue of Liberty, 30 Rock, the Washington Square arch, the Flatiron building.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.43 EDT<\/p>\n Good news from Fifa! There will be a \u201cfan-centric pre-match ceremony\u201d today, which means \u201can 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.\u201d<\/p>\n I bet there\u2019s 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: \u201cthe youth programme and players\u2019 tunnel will feature both traditional and new integrations of FIFA\u2019s Commercial Partners, thanks to the involvement of adidas, Coca-Cola, Kia, Mengniu, Qatar Airways and Quaker.\u201d At first, I read that as \u201cquakers\u201d and I was expecting a silent prayer meeting, which would have been quite nice.<\/p>\n The pre-match ceremony will also include \u201cadditional elements such as coloured smoke or pyrotechnics.\u201d Coloured smoke OR pyrotechnics? $5,000 a ticket and you don\u2019t even get both? This better be a good game.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 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\u2019s final.<\/p>\n Eniko Hart and Kevin Hart arrive for today\u2019s final. Photograph: Ryan Pierse\/FIFA\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan says the World Cup<\/a> has generated around $20bn of economic activity in the US, roughly the equivalent of the price of three tickets to today\u2019s final. It should be noted that the figures sporting events generate are often dubious at best:<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Preamble<\/p>\n 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<\/a> at this year\u2019s tournament!).<\/p>\n What has Gianni and Co got lined up for you? Well, we\u2019ll have:<\/p>\n 1) Very popular and smart and eloquent president Donald Trump<\/a> 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\u2019s final and a random Washington Commanders game last season):<\/p>\n We\u2019ll also have a half-time show, featuring BTS, Shakira, Madonna<\/a>, Burna Boy and Justin Bieber all watched over by curator of loving grace, Chris Martin.<\/p>\n But first! We\u2019ll 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\u2019s forehead?).<\/p>\n![\"Alexander](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1784488510_171_Alexander_Abnos.png\")
Alexander Abnos<\/p>\n![\"Scandal-proof:](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1784488511_265_563.jpg\")
Scandal-proof: why Infantino’s Fifa power can’t be touched \u2013 videoShare<\/a><\/p>\nAlexander Abnos<\/p>\nAlexander Abnos<\/p>\n