The U.S. team did not make the World Cup final, but “The Star-Spangled Banner” apparently did.
On July 14, FIFA announced that Grammy award–winning singer and talk show host Jennifer Hudson will perform a “special rendition” of the anthem before the World Cup final on Sunday, July 19, at New York New Jersey Stadium (better known as MetLife Stadium).
The announcement immediately left some soccer fans asking the same question: Why is the American anthem being performed at a game that does not include the United States?
The answer is less about the two teams playing and more about where they are playing.
Why is Jennifer Hudson singing the U.S. national anthem?
Jennifer Hudson is performing “The Star-Spangled Banner” as part of FIFA’s pre-game ceremony in New Jersey — a separate event that takes place before the match itself begins on the field.
The event, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET, 90 minutes before kickoff at the stadium in New Jersey, is designed to celebrate the tournament’s journey across three host countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Since the final is being held on American soil, Hudson’s performance is meant to represent the host country before Spain and Argentina take the field.
Not everyone online is convinced by that explanation. After all, the United States is sharing hosting duties with Canada and Mexico, which has left some fans wondering why their national anthems are not being performed, too.
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After Hudson’s performance concludes, the match will proceed with the standard international soccer protocol. Both Spain and Argentina will still perform their own national anthems before kickoff.
Hudson is one of several celebrities participating before kickoff. The pre-game event will be headlined by Post Malone. Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger, Laura Pausini, and streamer IShowSpeed are also scheduled to perform, while Tom Cruise will make a still-unspecified special appearance.
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The idea of performing the national anthem at the World Cup isn’t completely unprecedented (though rare). When the U.S. last hosted the men’s World Cup in 1994, saxophonist Kenny G played “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the closing ceremony before Brazil and Italy faced off in the final.
Even so, the online confusion makes sense, especially from the perspective of the elaborate production FIFA has built around the final match, especially regarding the halftime show.
Who is headlining the halftime show?
Madonna, Shakira, BTS, and Justin Bieber will headline the first World Cup halftime show in history: an 11-minute performance, which was curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. Burna Boy, conductor Gustavo Dudamel, the PS22 Chorus featuring Coldplay, and characters from Sesame Street and The Muppets will also participate.
The performance supports the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which is raising money to expand access to education and soccer programs for children.
The reported extension has drawn criticism from soccer fans who see it as another attempt to import the structure of American sports into the World Cup.
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FIFA has already faced complaints during this tournament about entertainment-heavy opening ceremonies and hydration breaks, which some viewers believe are being used to create additional television advertising opportunities.
That push makes more sense when you look at what FIFA stands to gain in the United States — FIFA expects to generate a record $13 billion during the current World Cup cycle. There is a lot of money riding on getting American viewers, including people who do not normally watch soccer, to tune in.
So far, that strategy appears to be working. Fox’s group-stage broadcasts averaged more than 5 million viewers, nearly double the audience for the same stage in 2022. The U.S. team’s matches also drew much larger Spanish-language audiences on Telemundo and Peacock than they did during the previous World Cup.
In that context, Hudson singing the American anthem feels less random. The American team may be out of the tournament, but the American audience, and the money attached to it, are still very much in the game.
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How to watch the World Cup final and closing ceremony
Spain and Argentina will play in the World Cup final on Sunday, July 19, at New York-New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The closing ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m. ET, while the match is scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m. ET.
English-language coverage will air on Fox and stream through Fox One and the Fox Sports app.
Spanish-language coverage will be available on Telemundo and Peacock. Peacock has confirmed that all 104 matches, including the final, are streaming live in Spanish.
