U.S. National Anthem Played at World Cup Final Despite U.S. Elimination: A Bizarre Turn of Events

As Spain and Argentina faced off for the World Cup trophy early this morning, a controversy erupted when the U.S. national anthem was played before the match began.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup final took place at 4:00 a.m. today at the New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S.

However, prior to kickoff, American singer Jennifer Hudson appeared on the field and performed the U.S. national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner."

It was the U.S. anthem that was played first, rather than the anthems of the finalists, Argentina or Spain.

Furthermore, this tournament was co-hosted with Canada and Mexico, not held solely by the United States, yet the honor of the first anthem performance at the final went to the U.S.

The national anthems of Canada and Mexico were not played.

In World Cup matches, it is customary for only the anthems of the two competing nations to be performed.

Critics argue that it is inevitably strange for football fans to hear the anthem of a country that did not even reach the final, simply because it is a host nation.

Meanwhile, FIFA also organized a halftime show for the final for the first time in World Cup history.

Performances by global stars such as Madonna, Shakira, BTS, and Justin Bieber lasted for approximately 25 minutes, drawing significant criticism.

Halftime in a football match is a 15-minute period for players to catch their breath and adjust tactics after the first half, and there were concerns that such a long break could negatively impact the quality of the game.

Nevertheless, FIFA pushed ahead with the plan, turning the interval into a stage for large-scale performances, advertisements, and famous singers.

Because of this, some are voicing complaints that the World Cup final, a festival for the world, was staged as an event to flaunt the influence and commercialism of FIFA and the United States.

Reported by Kim Jiuk | Video by Seo Byeong-uk | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.