World Cup Final 2026: 11 Celebrity Moments You Might Have Missed

After almost six weeks of ups and downs, this year’s World Cup came to an end over the weekend with a tense match that saw Spain triumphing over Argentina.

The 2026 World Cup final delivered plenty of stand-out moments – and we’re definitely not just talking about the football.

From unexpected celebrity appearances to a first-of-its-kind halftime show (which, it has to be said, received a bit of a lukewarm reception), the last night of the global football tournament gave us plenty of big moments from the world of entertainment that really got people talking.

Here are just 11 of those celeb moments from the 2026 World Cup final that you might have missed…

1. With the final taking place on US soil, things kicked off with a rendition of America’s National Anthem performed by the always–note-perfect EGOT recipient Jennifer Hudson

3. Tom Cruise warms up the crowd before the game gets underway because… hey, why not?

4. The much-hyped star-studded Halftime Show started with a (mostly pre-recorded) performance of a Madonna classic – and the briefest of snippets of her latest hit – with some iconic football cameos in what turned out to be the scene-stealing moment of the whole 11-minute show

5. We’re always happy to see more of The Muppets on our screens, with The Electric Mayhem getting the fans going with this version of Seven Nation Army (don’t worry, there was an appearance from Kermit and Miss Piggy later on, too)

6. BTS brought the Dynamite with a rendition of one of their signature songs

7. Ted Lasso himself introduced Justin Bieber, who used his segment of the show to deliver an acoustic ballad which doesn’t quite scream ‘football celebration’ to us but hey what do we know?

8. Shakira and Burna Boy then teamed up to bring their football anthem Dai Dai to life with some brilliant choreo

9. Let’s be honest, though, back in the BBC studio, Wayne Rooney summed up the feelings of many people watching (it was no Super Bowl Halftime, was it?)

11. And we’ll leave it up to you to determine whether this counts as a ‘celebrity moment’ but the crowd’s reaction to US president Donald Trump hitting the pitch was one of the most talked-about scenes of the whole night