The increased presence follows a spell of warm and dry weather, raising the risk of wildfires.

Officers are urging visitors not to light barbecues, campfires or disposable grills.

They also reminded people to fully extinguish cigarettes and matches, take litter home, and report any signs of fire immediately by calling 999.

Glass bottles, in particular, pose a significant risk if left behind.

A police spokesperson, via social media, said: “Neighbourhood officers have increased patrols around the Smithills Estate moorland area of Winter Hill during the recent spell of dry weather.

“We want everyone to come and enjoy this beautiful area responsibly, but with the warm and dry conditions, there is an increased risk of moorland fires.

“Even a small spark can have devastating consequences for wildlife, the landscape and nearby communities.

“If you’re visiting, please remember:
Do not light BBQs, campfires or disposable grills
Ensure cigarettes and matches are fully extinguished
Take all litter home with you, especially glass bottles
Follow local signage and keep to designated paths
Report any signs of fire immediately by calling 999

“Thank you for helping to protect Winter Hill and the surrounding moorland.

“Please come and enjoy the area, take in the fantastic views and help keep it safe for everyone.”

By BEN NAGLE, US SPORTS EDITOR

Published: 19:49 BST, 19 July 2026 | Updated: 20:24 BST, 19 July 2026

Jennifer Hudson wowed the World Cup final crowd with a rousing rendition of the American national anthem in front of president Donald Trump.

The singer – who is an EGOT having scooped an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award in her remarkable career – took to the stage ahead of the action between Argentina and Spain at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

There was some confusion from fans as to why the Star-Spangled Banner was performed, given the United States was dumped out of the tournament almost a fortnight ago. 

But regardless of the national team’s failures on the pitch, Hudson herself was widely praised for the emotional performance, which left many at home misty-eyed.

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She was an impressive booking from FIFA, given her A-list career as an actress, singer and daytime TV presenter. In fact, TIME have previously named her among the 100 most influential people in the world.

Her vocals were a far cry from the pregame ‘closing ceremony’ performances, in which the likes of IShowSpeed were panned by fans for their apparent lip-syncing on the World Cup final stage.

Jennifer Hudson performs the Star-Spangled Banner ahead of the World Cup final at MetLife

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Post Malone and Swae Lee also performed ahead of the game, before the controversial halftime show will feature the likes of Madonna, Shakira and Justin Bieber.

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For her performance, Hudson wore an all-white suit, with red, white and blue America-themed stitching down the back. 

She stood on a plinth in the middle of the field, with a series of flags blowing in the wind behind her.

On social media, fans praised the impressive vocals she showed off in front of more than a billion fans watching around the world.

‘If the goal was to hit a high note and a high score, she just nailed both,’ one said, while another fan added: ‘Such a beautiful voice!’

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A third wrote: ‘A powerful performance to set the stage for football’s biggest night.’

On television on a Saturday and Sunday night, they were always rather an odd couple.

Claudia Winkleman – quicksilver, effortlessly funny, gifted at reading people and situations – and former model Tess Daly, her Strictly co-presenter who, despite her undisputed beauty was none of those things.

Daly was hired from the first series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2004 as the ‘straight woman’ to Bruce Forsyth, seemingly to bring glamour, in the way that Bruce’s female sidekicks had done decades before in his family show The Generation Game.

But even devoted Strictly viewers found her manner stiff and her mini-interviews with contestants repetitive. On fan sites she was routinely known as ‘the Tess-bot’ – woundingly, this went on for more than two decades.

While Claudia made the role her own, the ringmaster of hilarity, tinged with hysteria in the upstairs holding pen which became known as the Clauditorium, unfortunate Tess was left looking decorative but deadly dull.

Claudia even came to outshine Tess in the style stakes. While Claudia liked to joke that she was naturally scruffy and with her iconic heavy fringe and eyeliner looked: ‘like a mature physics student who has been caught in the rain and slept in a skip’, with the help of stylist Sinead McKeefry she became a style icon for her trouser suits on Strictly and goth-tweed ensembles in The Traitors.

Tess’s look never evolved beyond a big bouncy blonde blow dry, good teeth and a tan.

And while Claudia’s career has never been in stronger shape since she left Strictly last October, Tess has been suffering from reverses and crises on all fronts.

Tess started as the ‘straight woman’ to Strictly’s first presenter Bruce Forsyth

Claudia waltzed from Strictly straight into presenting Crufts on Channel 4, her own chat show on BBC1 and more iterations of the smash hit The Traitors; Tess is apparently weighing an offer of a show on Magic Radio and contemplating losses at her bikini firm, Naia Beach.

Even the news yesterday that Claudia is walking away from the option of a second series of The Claudia Winkleman Show on BBC1 simply confirms that she is at the peak of her professional powers.

As a source explained to me, she only does the shows she wants to do, and she didn’t enjoy this high-profile plum of a project, so that was that.

Claudia herself explained: ‘Sometimes you have to try something to see how it fits, and I realised I was just too nervous to enjoy it.’

Jeff Foulser, chair of the production and media company Sunset and Vine, who hired Claudia to present Crufts on Channel 4, said that her achievement in launching and fronting her own chat show remains considerable.

‘It takes journalistic understanding to be able to get the best out of people like the doyen Michael Parkinson. The whole of Crufts was in awe of her and she was fantastic… but you can never legislate for how people feel in front of a live audience,’ he said.

David Sumnall, who made the Channel 5 documentary Claudia Winkleman: Behind the Fringe, said: ‘If Claudia feels that she can’t make it work, then who can?’ He added: ‘The reason people like her is because she is so human: admitting she wasn’t enjoying it is something few would do, and is so refreshing.’

It’s also a move which can be made only by someone who has nothing to prove: saying that you are leaving the highest profile job of your career because it doesn’t suit you.

Claudia’s first job on TV was as a reporter for the BBC1’s long-running travel series Holiday in the 1990s

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Claudia outside Windsor Castle with her MBE last year, alongside her father Barry, mother Eve Pollard and husband Kris Thykier

Claudia’s agent, Holly Bott, is one of the best in the business and has (along with Claudia) left the agency YMU and set up on her own, running a new talent business alongside Claudia’s film producer husband Kris Thykier.

Poor Tess, whose marriage to DJ and fellow TV presenter Vernon Kay ended this year, remains with YMU who don’t seem to have been able to pull off any magic strokes for her.

She and Vernon announced their split in May ‘with a deep sense of care and respect for one another’ and say that they have stayed friends. They have opted to settle their divorce cleanly and cheaply via online lawyers.

However, it’s notable that while Vernon always posts likes and loving comments on his wife’s Instagram, Tess does not return the favour.

She has apparently struggled to overcome lingering memories of the scandal in 2010 when he was caught out sending saucy texts to lingerie model Rhian Sugden, but they have also grown apart, as people can in 23 years. Their daughters Phoebe and Amber are 21 and 16.

Friend Vanessa Feltz said: ‘Not a soul in showbusiness is anything but gutted at the news Tess Daly and Vernon Kay are calling time on their marriage. They are likeable, cheerful and generous.’

Claudia, by contrast, remains happily married to film producer Thykier.

They tied the knot in a beautiful wedding in the South of France in 2000. They have three children: Jake, Matilda and Arthur, a dog Skip on whom Claudia dotes, and a starry group of friends on both sides of the Atlantic thanks to Kris’s contacts.

Tess was left looking decorative but deadly dull on Strictly, and she was routinely known as ‘the Tess-bot’ on fan sites

Tess’s marriage to DJ and fellow TV presenter Vernon Kay ended earlier this year

Home is a town house in central London and there is a country pad in the Cotswolds for weekends. Kris goes shooting with film producer Guy Ritchie (he and Claudia attended Ritchie’s wedding to Madonna) and Kris and Claudia are apparently red-hot bridge players.

There were few signs that Claudia would make it so big in her early years in television.

I used to bump into her a lot on the party circuit in the late 1990s. At the time Claudia was working on shows like the barely watched Liquid News and the truly awful gameshow Talking Telephone Numbers with Phillip Schofield.

In 1999 she fronted Trading Up, a car-based game show for Channel 4. She said: ‘If I tell you that while I was actually filming it, I had a small nap, does that give you an idea of how interesting it was? I don’t even like cars, I can’t even drive a car, I can’t spell car.’

She was always exactly the person you see on screen now – sharp, hilarious and entirely herself.

Winkleman is the daughter of Eve Pollard, the trailblazing journalist and newspaper editor, and Barry Winkleman, the book publisher. Her stepfather Sir Nicholas Lloyd was also a newspaper editor.

She once said that the family motto was: ‘Don’t worry about being interesting. Be interested.’

Claudia read art history at New Hall, Cambridge, and got her first job in an art gallery but left after four days, complaining of boredom.

Her first job on TV was a cushy one – reporting for Holiday, the long-running BBC travel series, in the early 1990s.

She also appeared on This Morning on ITV, once being sawn in half by a magician. She even appeared as a ‘dating expert’ on Good Morning with Anne and Nick in 1996. Her stint on the BBC’s Film show previously presented by Barry Norman and Jonathan Ross was not considered a great success.

Claudia waltzed from Strictly straight into presenting Crufts on Channel 4…

… and her own chat show on BBC1, for which she recently turned down a second series

It seemed she would do anything to try to establish herself.

And yet, after a good two decades of toil, she was made into a huge star by Strictly, the crown jewel of the BBC’s entertainment output.

She started out on the companion show It Takes Two, in 2004, and after six years became the co-presenter of the Sunday results show. Then, when Bruce Forsyth decided to move on in 2010, she stepped lightly into his loafers.

It helped that she was already friends with all the dancers, and knew the show inside out but she became a powerful factor in the continued popularity of the programme because she helped to make it fun to watch.

Danny Cohen was the BBC’s director of television at the time and says that the decision to promote her was easy.

He said: ‘She’s brilliantly talented but she doesn’t show off about it. She has that quality which the very, very best presenters have, which is you like being in their company, and you want to spend time with them.’

From 2022 she added another massive hit show, The Traitors, to her resume. Initially she was hesitant.

‘When the BBC asked me to go to Scotland for three weeks I was like, “Oh, thanks for asking…” I said, “No. I don’t want to do that.” They sent me the Dutch version and I was told to take a risk. I watched it and after three episodes I said I would get on the train and I am in.’

There were still doubts. Claudia said: ‘I remember phoning my husband and I said, “I think it is over. I have had a good run but I am standing in a field holding a ceremonial pouch with red pleather gloves which I got from Amazon. Put the kettle on. I will be back and we will not mention it.”’

Winkleman jokes that the reason for her success is simple.

‘I don’t think I’d have a career if I didn’t have a fringe. When producers can’t remember the names of potential presenters, they say: ‘Get the orange one with the fringe!’’

The moment that Shona (Julia Goulding) and David Platt (Jack P Shepherd) have been dreaming of is finally here, and nothing can spoil it… except for Jodie Ramsey (Olivia Frances-Brown), obviously.

The Platts have had the year from Hell, and that’s before they even invited a pound shop version of Glenn Close from Fatal Attraction to stay.

The arrival of their baby daughter Harper has caused the cobbles couple no end of sleepless nights. When Shona first discovered she was pregnant, it should have been an exciting journey into parenthood. Sadly, that journey was tainted by tragedy when she and David discovered their unborn child had developed a cancerous tumour on her neck.

The surgery required to remove the tumour involved surgery that could risk Shona’s life. Despite the risks, they weathered the storm and nine months later Baby Harper, who was born shortly after the Corriedale crash.

Unfortunately,little Harper wasn’t out of the woods yet. She was born prematurely, requiring NICU care and a planned operation to remove the tumour. The poor little mite has been plagued with health problems requiring round the clock care.

Frankly, Mister and Mrs Platt have had enough on their plate without having to worry about Shona’s twisted half-sister Jodie Ramsey (Olivia Frances-Brown) single-white-female-ing all over the shop.

The bunny-boiling baddie’s grand scheme to get revenge on Shona for abandoning their toxic family home as a teen hit a serious snag when her efforts to seduce David into bed went up in smoke – which is what happens when you think you can fool a husband into thinking your his wife by spritzing on her perfume before turning on the lights. Predictably, this resulted in Jodie getting kicked out of the Platts when a furious David told Shona all about her failed seduction routine.

After she tried and failed to find herself a new sucker in the form of teacher Daniel Osbourne (Rob Mallard), the sinister half-sibling managed to worm her way back into her sister’s good graces – much to David’s chagrin.

Jodie’s ‘in’ has always been Shona’s kids. She was a tower of strength in Shona’s darkest hour and did her very best to look after Baby Harper. She also had a great relationship with her niece Lily (Grace Ashcroft-Gardner) and was in many ways the model aunt – if you forget the gun she’s keeping the house.

As if Jodie hadn’t already proved her gothic soap villainess credentials, she stole the shooter Carl Webster (Jonathan Howard) used during his Mancunian standoff in the garage by Ronnie Bailey (Vinta Morgan), Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall) and Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell), adding it to her magpie-like box of trinkets stolen from her neighbours.

What was going through Jodie’s head when she decided to get her hands on Carl’s piece? Who knows? But that might be the least of her worries.

Let’s not forget the other smoking gun. Jodie attacked Sarah Platt (Tina O’Brien) on the same night that Weatherfield’s girl next door murdered Theo Silverton (James Cartwright). She assaulted Sarah from behind to stop her blabbing to her brother about the incriminating box of trinkets.

Now Jodie’s scary treasure trove is about to come back to bite her bigtime in upcoming episodes of Coronation Street – which will seriously rain on David and Shona’s parade, as they receive the best news any parents can.

After getting the all clear for Harper, David and Shona arrive home from hospital with their precious baby girl to surprise the whole family.

However, the mood is soured when Jodie arrives and tells them that she has told the police about the assault. As subtle as ever, Jodie is really picking her moment as she asks to move back in with her half-sister while awaiting her court case. Awks.

Making sure there’s nobody in earshot, Lily quizzes Jodie about the trinket box. Covering her shock, Jodie assures her it’s only a fake gun.

Meanwhile Bethany visits Sarah in prison and tells her about Jodie’s shock arrival at the party and how she confessed to the police about the assault.

Once the gun drama gets out, it seems Jodie won’t be calling the shots for much longer…

MORE: Police burst in as Sarah’s life is upended in dramatic Coronation Street spoiler video

MORE: Coronation Street’s controversial Betsy strangulation story kicks off heated fan debate

MORE: Missing Emmerdale star to return to screens after two years

Gavin Miles, director of planning and place at the park authority, said: “News from Glenmore this morning is very encouraging, with colleagues from SFRS indicating that the fire is now largely surrounded. This is, though, still a live situation and teams are still very active on the ground, so we are taking nothing for granted at this stage.

In a message to households affected by no water or low pressure problems in W5, W7 and W13, the Mountfield Road area, Ealing, west London, Thames Water said on Sunday morning: “We’re pleased to let you know that the repair to the damaged water main has been completed and your water supply has been fully restored.

Bathgate Market and Car Boot Sale organiser Lucy Lawson won the 2026 Churchill Fellowship, allowing her to launch her local work abroad.

The founder of a beloved West Lothian market has been awarded a prestigious fellowship to work on the international stage.

Bathgate Market and Car Boot Sale organiser Lucy Lawson won the 2026 Churchill Fellowship, allowing her to launch her local work abroad.

Lucy, who founded the community-focused Unicorn Markets CIC, which runs the market, will travel across the UK, Germany and the Netherlands to study how successful markets support small traders, regenerate town centres and benefit local communities.

She plans to bring those ideas back to West Lothian and share her findings with markets across Scotland.

The 26-year-old launched the market after graduating from university, giving a platform to many local microbusinesses and bringing life back into the small town.

Lucy said: “There is a lot to learn from the models of more established markets, including how they best benefit their local communities and overcome challenges. I intend to learn from them and apply my knowledge to the markets I am already running.”

The Bathgate market grew from a project in Lucy’s university years to a full-scale community staple in the town. She began with a five-week trial and has extended the lease multiple times since.

Lucy loves watching businesses flourish at the market, which she called her “absolute baby”.

She continued: “I’ve seen people make their ideas into reality. A baker started with us and now they have a full scale bread operation.

“Some people say they come and it’s the first person they spoke to all week. That’s what makes it so special to me is seeing how special it is for other people.

“We had an Easter bunny come the other week. A mum said she couldn’t afford to have taken her daughter to see the Easter bunny elsewhere. It’s just nice wee things.

“Rain or shine, we’re there every Saturday. It’s good to be there for people.”

The Bathgate Market and Car Boot Sale takes place every Saturday at 9am at the Old Station Car Park, Bathgate. You can find more information on their Facebook page.

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The Apollo Pavilion, also known as the Pasmore Pavilion, stands on the Sunny Blunts estate in Peterlee and is one of the North East’s most distinctive examples of public art and architecture.

Designed by British artist and architect Victor Pasmore, the concrete structure was completed in 1969 as part of the wider vision for Peterlee new town.

Apollo Pavilion (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Although it was once controversial and became the focus of local complaints, the pavilion is now a Grade II*-listed structure and remains one of Peterlee’s best-known landmarks.

It also featured prominently in one episode of Vera, starring Brenda Blethyn as DCI Vera Stanhope.

The pavilion appeared in the Season 12 episode Against the Tide, which aired in January 2023, serving as the backdrop to a family home in the drama.

Its appearance amused some local viewers, who spotted what they saw as a classic television geography flaw, with characters shown living beside the pavilion in Peterlee but travelling to Morpeth to do their shopping.

The Apollo Pavilion’s history stretches back to the post-war development of Peterlee.

In 1955, Victor Pasmore was appointed consulting director of architectural design for the Peterlee Development Corporation.

ITV Vera (Image: PA MEDIA)

He chose to design part of the town around a central abstract artwork and pavilion, eventually naming it the Apollo Pavilion in reference to the optimism of the Apollo Space Program.

The structure was completed in the same year as the Moon landing.

Pasmore described the work as “an architecture and sculpture of purely abstract form through which to walk, in which to linger and on which to play.”

He also called it “a free and anonymous monument” which could lift the activity of an urban housing community “on to a universal plane.”

But the pavilion was not universally welcomed or liked.

From the beginning, it attracted criticism from some residents and became the subject of complaints.

When the Peterlee Development Corporation was disbanded, responsibility for maintenance became a problem.

Over time, the concrete began to grey and decay, and the pavilion became increasingly neglected.

Despite the criticism, the Apollo Pavilion gained supporters among artists, heritage campaigners and cultural figures.

A friends group was formed, and by the mid-2000s there were fresh proposals to restore the structure.

In 2009, the pavilion was officially unveiled again after a £400,000 restoration project.

In December 2011, English Heritage granted the Apollo Pavilion Grade II* listed status, recognising its national architectural and historic importance.

Today, the structure remains one of the UK’s rare examples of a large-scale experiment in bringing together abstract art and architecture.

Russia has carried out a wave of ballistic missile and drone strikes on Ukraine, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens, officials say.

Four people were killed in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv, and an elderly woman died in the capital Kyiv. There were two more fatalities in Zaporizhzhia in the south and one in Sumy in the north-east.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the raid on Kyiv was “one of the most massive ballistic attacks” since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in 2022.

Late on Sunday, Ukraine’s navy said five people were killed when a Turkish-owned civilian cargo ship with grain was hit by Russian missiles in the Black Sea. Russia has not commented.

Meanwhile, Ukraine said it had hit three Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea, and three oil depots in the southern Stavropol region. Zelensky said they were targets that “finance Russian aggression”.

A number of areas in the Kyiv region were hit overnight. The Ukrainian military said air defences in the capital had shot down 18 out of 41 missiles. The systems also intercepted 108 drones.

Kharkiv regional head Oleh Syniehubov said a postal terminal in the city suburbs had been attacked, with four men aged between 24 and 62 killed. Several of the injured were in a serious condition.

In a Telegram message, Zelensky said in the past week Russia had “used about 1,450 strike drones, more than 1,640 guided bombs and 99 missiles of various types against Ukraine”.

Zelensky also posted on Telegram about Ukrainian strikes.

“SBU [security service] units hit three oil depots in the Stavropol region simultaneously, while units of our Armed Forces struck another fuel-sector facility in the same region,” he said.

“Precise hits on three Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tankers were recorded in the Black Sea. I thank every one of our units that is helping to spread the realisation within Russia that this war must be brought to an end.”

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which carries Kazakhstan’s Caspian oil to Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, said its terminal had been hit.

It said two tankers were damaged, prompting oil loading operations to be suspended. There were no injuries or oil spills.

Stavropol’s governor said a drone attack had caused a fire in an industrial park.

The latest strikes on Kyiv involved a range of Russian weapons systems, including Iskander and hypersonic Zircon missiles, as well as 125 drones, the Ukrainian air force said.

On Sunday Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said both residential and non-residential buildings had been damaged, including a supermarket and a dormitory.

Firefighters have been battling blazes at two warehouses. Ukraine’s emergencies ministry said a logistics hub in Bucha district near Kyiv had been hit, with two people injured.

The overnight strikes came after Ukraine sent drones to destroy two warehouses belonging to Russia’s biggest online retailer, Wildberries, killing eight people and causing major fires.

Tom Cruise led the superstars arriving early for the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday.

The Top Gun star, 64, flashed a giddy grin as he sauntered through the stadium ahead of his special appearance at the closing ceremony.

Cruise kept his look casual in a black tee and jeans as he posed for selfies with queuing fans, while flanked by bodyguards.

The actor will be sure to mingle with his close friends David and Victoria Beckham, who have been fixtures at the tournament, as well as Argentina legend Lionel Messi, who is playing in his second consecutive World Cup final. 

For the first time in history, FIFA has controversially decided to add a halftime show to the biggest game in global soccer.

Billions of fans will tune into Sunday’s game as Messi and Co bid to secure a second successive World Cup triumph. This year, however, Messi will be forced to share the stage with the likes of Madonna, Shakira and Justin Bieber as soccer is given a slice of the Super Bowl treatment.

The Top Gun star, 64, flashed a giddy grin as he sauntered through the stadium ahead of his special appearance at the closing ceremony

As well as a halftime show, the World Cup final will also include a closing ceremony that will feature performances and appearances from Post Malone, Cruise, Nicole Scherzinger, influencer IShowSpeed, Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, Robbie Williams and Italian singer Laura Pausini.

Spanish actor Javier Bardem, skiing legend Lindsey Vonn and actress Julia Garner were also in attendance for the FIFA Gold Carpet event ahead of the final. 

Cruise’s specific role is unclear, with FIFA describing it only as a ‘special appearance.’ But soccer chiefs say the ceremony will pay tribute to all 48 nations from the tournament.

World Cup final day got off to a chaotic start at MetLife Stadium with fans forced to wait for hours outside of the venue amid reports of technological glitches scanning tickets and security staff unsure of how to manage the crowds.

Organizers this week urged fans lucky enough to have a ticket to arrive up to four hours before the start of the game at the 80,000-seater stadium in New Jersey, a short drive outside of Manhattan, for Sunday’s showdown between Spain and Argentina. 

As the build-up to the game expected to be watched by billions around the world ramped up, fans were waiting for over four hours to have their tickets scanned in order to enter the stadium for the showpiece game. 

The attendance of President Donald Trump meant that airport-style security measures were also being enforced for everyone making their way inside of the venue.

But the delays were compounded amid reports of glitches in FIFA’s ticket-scanning system, meaning those who were fortunate enough to be at the front of the long lines still faced frustrating delays.

Thousands of fans and media members faced massive lines to enter the stadium for the World Cup final on Sunday amid several reports of security struggling to manage the situation

Javier Bardem was supporting his home country as he attended the FIFA Gold Carpet before the final

Julia Garner was in attendance to support close pal Madonna ahead of her halftime show

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Lindsey Vonn looked stylish as she posed up ahead of the game

Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazario attended with wife Celina Locks

England icon John Terry and Argentina legend Diego Simeone were in attendance

Daily Mail also witnessed tensions simmering between fans, media members and security staff, with officials on the ground telling anyone who complained: ‘Take it up with FIFA’. 

The game is set to be the most expensive to attend in the history of sport – on Sunday morning, the cheapest ticket available on most resale websites was starting at around $7,000.

FIFA encouraged fans to arrive early in order to participate in the World Cup closing ceremony, scheduled to begin around 90 minutes before the game itself kicks off. 

But it is standard procedure for fans to arrive early for additional security checks whenever Trump attends a sporting event – and he has made it to plenty in his second term as President, ranging from the Ryder Cup to the Super Bowl.

Post Malone performed ahead of the final 

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Cruise kept his look casual in a black tee and jeans as he posed for selfies with queuing fans, while flanked by bodyguards

The star looked excited ahead of the final 

The actor will be sure to mingle with his close friends David and Victoria Beckham , who have been fixtures at the tournament, as well as Argentina legend Lionel Messi , who is playing in his second consecutive World Cup final

Extra security checks were in place ahead of the attendance of President Trump for the game

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Man of the hour and Argentina captain Lionel Messi winked at fans as he arrived for the final 

Even on the live television coverage, the stadium was bare with a little over an hour until that closing ceremony began. 

Soccer greats such as Brazil World Cup winner Ronaldo, former England captain John Terry and former Argentina player Diego Simeone all appeared carefree as they entered the stadium in good time before the game. 

There were plenty of fans who were determined not to let the chaos ruin their day, too. Thousands of Argentina fans have made the journey to the stadium for what will likely be star man Lionel Messi’s last ever appearance in a World Cup at the age of 39.

Argentina are narrow underdogs against Spain, the European champions, despite being the holders after winning the 2022 tournament in Qatar. 

Trump is expected to hand the World Cup trophy over to the winning team after the game.