The biggest night in world soccer arrived in New Jersey on Sunday, and before a ball was kicked at MetLife Stadium, the voice booming across the place belonged to Tom Cruise.
The 64-year-old Mission: Impossible star opened the FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain with a sweeping address about the tournament’s month-long journey, delivered with the full cinematic gravitas that has defined his career. “So as we gather for one final chapter, let us celebrate a tournament that brought the world together,” Cruise told the crowd. “Let us celebrate each other. This is football, this is unity, this is greatness.“
The internet did not wait for the opening whistle.
Within minutes, viewers were branding the speech “cringeworthy” and “schlock,” and questioning why a Hollywood star was delivering a motivational address before the sport’s biggest match at all. “Why was it necessary to have Tom Cruise at pre-game?” one wrote. “I don’t think of Mr Cruise when I think of ‘soccer’ or FIFA World Cup.“
The sharpest reaction came from a man paid to talk about football for a living. On ITV’s live coverage, Manchester United legend Roy Keane watched Cruise fill the big screen and asked the question millions were already typing: “He isn’t going to sing, is he?“
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.
“Bro just called it Football,” one fan posted. Another added: “Well at least he doesn’t say soccer.“
That split defined the night. Plenty of viewers groaned at the earnestness, while others pointed out the obvious, that with an audience estimated in the billions, Cruise was addressing a global crowd rather than a domestic one.
The rest simply enjoyed the absurdity of it. “He’s lucky he did not say SOCCER,” one fan laughed, while another was grateful the actor had kept things simple: “Good he chose a speech instead of hanging from the stadium roof. Thank God.“
Cruise has not responded to any of it. By the time Argentina and Spain kicked off, the argument had moved on without him.
One speech, billions of viewers, and absolutely no agreement on any of it.
