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Tom Cruise to join star-studded 2026 FIFA World Cup closing ceremony

Tom Cruise appears in this image. (FIFA)

The closing ceremony for the 2026 FIFA World Cup just got bigger.

FIFA announced in a press release Tuesday that it has added Tom Cruise to its closing ceremony lineup, set to be held Sunday, ahead of the 2026 World Cup Final.

The Top Gun star will make a special appearance, joining a star-studded list of performers.

Also taking the World Cup stage for the closing ceremony are Italian singer-songwriter Laura Pausini, American singer and actress Nicole Scherzinger, English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams and YouTube creator IShowSpeed.

Jennifer Hudson will also help kick off the 2026 World Cup final with a special rendition of the U.S. national anthem.

“Echoing the spirit of the opening ceremonies, which welcomed the world to the greatest stage in Canada, Mexico and the United States, the closing ceremony will bring the FIFA World Cup 2026 full circle through music, culture and football, before we kick off the highly anticipated match that will crown the champions of this groundbreaking tournament,” Heimo Schirgi, chief operating officer for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, said in a statement in the press release.

The closing ceremony will begin 90 minutes before kickoff at 1:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.

It will be held at New York New Jersey Stadium (known outside the tournament as MetLife Stadium) in East Rutherford, New Jersey, capping the first men’s World Cup to feature an expanded 48-team field and to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Earlier this month, FIFA announced Justin Bieber as a co-headliner for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Halftime Show alongside Madonna, BTS and Shakira.

The halftime show will also include performances by singer Burna Boy, conductor Gustavo Dudamel, and the PS22 Chorus, which is the acclaimed choir of fourth and fifth graders from a public elementary school in Staten Island, New York. Coldplay will also perform.

Coldplay’s Chris Martin is curating the final halftime show, and it will be produced by Global Citizen.

The tournament kicked off June 11 in Mexico City and included an opening ceremony featuring performances from Shakira, Burna Boy, Maná, J Balvin, Belinda and Tyla.

Separate star-studded opening ceremonies were also held that week in Toronto and Los Angeles before the first whistle was blown.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Ex-Chinese military men accused of espionage activities near US bases in South Korea, police say

By CNN
Seoul (CNN) — Two former Chinese military servicemen have been arrested in South Korea in separate cases of apparent espionage, involving alleged attempts to surveil South Korean military operations and US forces stationed in the country, police said.In one case, a man is accused of intercepting flight communications near an airbase where US fighter jets are based, while in the other, information about military drills between US and South Korean forces was allegedly obtained.South Korea is a key ally of the US in Asia, and hosts its largest overseas military installation.Both men have been charged with aiding an enemy state. In response to CNN’s request for comment, China’s Foreign Ministry said it was “not familiar with the situation.”Military drills informationIn 2022, a Korean-Chinese man in his 40s allegedly developed a personal relationship with a Korean woman who worked at Camp Humphreys – located in Pyeongtaek about 40 miles south of Seoul.The base is home to US Forces Korea and other major commands, making it a key center for US military operations and readiness on the Korean Peninsula.Korean media reports say the man gave the woman money for military information about the base.The Gyeonggi Nambu police national security investigation division said the man obtained information about US-South Korea joint military exercises, including Ulchi Freedom Shield, as well as changes in command positions, police said.Ulchi Freedom Shield is an annual joint military exercise conducted by the United States and South Korea to strengthen their combined defense capabilities and readiness. Authorities have informed the US military about the case. This year’s Ulchi Freedom Shield drills are due to start next week.Police said the man was a former Chinese military serviceman who had operated a military supply store near Camp Humphreys since 2021. He told police he needed the information for his military equipment business, according to investigators.The man was charged Monday with aiding an enemy state and violating the Military Base and Installations Protection Act.The woman involved had been removed from her position by the time investigations began.Separate airport communications caseThe second case involves a Chinese man in his 60s who police said also previously served in the Chinese military.He was arrested on Monday on charges of aiding an enemy state and violating the Communications Secrets Protection Act after allegedly using a software-defined radio, or SDR, to intercept communications near Gunsan Airport in North Jeolla Province, about 110 miles (180 kilometers) south of Seoul.Gunsan Airport is a joint military and civilian airport near Kunsan Air Base, which is home to the US Air Force’s 8th Fighter Wing.Police allege the man entered South Korea on a tourist visa several times from January 2024 and stayed about a week for each trip.He’s accused of checking into a hotel near the airport and using a small SDR to intercept military communications.During questioning, police said the man told investigators that “listening to military-related communications is my hobby.” Officers are analyzing the content of the intercepted communications to determine whether the information was sent to China.South Korea’s Defense Ministry and the United States Forces Korea declined to comment.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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