Cruise was not the only star on the bill. The opening ceremony also featured Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger, Robbie Williams, Post Malone, Jennifer Hudson, and streamer IShowSpeed, and it ran long enough that kickoff was pushed back several minutes while crews cleared the stage off the pitch.
FIFA had built the night into a full-blown entertainment spectacle. The final also delivered the tournament’s first halftime show, a co-headlining set from BTS, Justin Bieber, Shakira, and Madonna, making the actor’s speech just one segment of a production that rivaled the match for attention.
Not Everyone Was Laughing
For every viewer squirming, another was won over by a single word choice. Cruise called the sport football rather than soccer, and a large slice of the global audience noticed immediately.
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