FIFA WC: IShowSpeed, Post Malone set stage alight as final closing ceremony gets underway

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

New York, July 19 (IANS) The 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey got off to a spectacular start on Sunday as IShowSpeed, Post Malone and a host of global music stars headlined a star-studded closing ceremony before the biggest match in world football.

The ceremony took place before the kick-off at the venue officially known by FIFA as the New York New Jersey Stadium. It wrapped up the month-long tournament with a celebration of music, culture, and football. Jennifer Hudson started the event with a powerful performance of the United States national anthem. Post Malone then took the stage as the main performer. He was joined by Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger, Robbie Williams, and internet sensation IShowSpeed. Hollywood star Tom Cruise also made a special appearance.

FIFA World Cup Chief Operating Officer Heimo Schirgi mentioned that the ceremony would reflect the excitement of the tournament’s opening celebrations in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

“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,” Schirgi said.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino praised the impressive line-up before the event.

“We are thrilled to have so many stars taking to the pitch from both the football and entertainment worlds,” Infantino said. “The closing ceremony will set the tone for a historic FIFA World Cup final, uniting the passion of 48 teams, 16 host cities, and millions of fans on one unforgettable stage.”

After the pre-match celebrations, the final was set to include the first-ever halftime show in the 96-year history of the FIFA World Cup. Curated by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin in support of the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, the show was expected to feature Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira, and BTS as co-headliners, along with Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel, the PS22 Chorus, and Coldplay.

–IANS

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HIL: Soorma gear up for crucial clash against Vedanta Kalinga Lancers in semis push

Rourkela, Jan 26 (IANS) Soorma Hockey Club are building up a head of steam in the business end of the season having won both their matches in Phase 2. Their penultimate match of the men’s league will be against the Vedanta Kalinga Lancers at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela on Monday.

In their previous encounter with the Lancers, Soorma registered a narrow 4-3 victory courtesy of a goal from Harish Somappa Mutagar.

“It was close against the Lancers the last time but we won’t change our approach for this match. We have to just make sure that we are ready and that we are able to make sure that our team is fit and fresh to play this game. We want to be the best version of ourselves in each and every game, and we want to make sure that the players are ready to play this big game again,” head coach Jeroen Baart commented.

Soorma are placed fifth on the points table, having secured three wins, two penalty shootout wins and one penalty shootout loss. They have won both their matches in Pool A since Phase 2 began, placing them in contention to make it to the semifinal with two games left in the league.

“I’m pretty proud of our team. We have made progress from the moment we got together in the beginning of December until now. Every session that we went together, on the field, off the field, in the meeting room, or in the gym, these boys are very eager and are working together to become better every single moment. I’m really proud of the evolution that we had to make sure that we keep building and we get to the best version of ourselves at the end,” Jeroen explained.

The Lancers themselves are placed sixth on the points table. Thierry Brinkman has been their standout player, scoring nine goals in nine matches to stand on top of the goalscoring chart. They have a slight chance to make it to the semifinal if they win this encounter as well, making it a crucial game for Soorma.

“I think Thierry’s a very, high-quality player. He has a certain drive, which makes him very dangerous in the offensive circle. We have to be mindful of it, so that means our defense will be oriented to him, definitely. But he’s not the only player that we have to watch out for the Lancers; they also have Domene and Antoine Kina. But again, I’m pretty sure that, like we saw in the first game that we played them, we can match those qualities as well and we will be ready to face them,” he added.

–IANS

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Berhanu ready for a hat-trick while Minsewo returns to defend title in Mumbai Marathon

Mumbai, Dec 30 (IANS) Ethiopia’s defending champions Hayle Lemi Berhanu and Aberash Minsewo are returning to retain their titles at the Mumbai Marathon 2025, a World Athletics Gold Label Race, scheduled on January 19. Berhanu will attempt a hat-trick of wins after his back-to-back victories in 2023 and 2024 in the men’s section. If successful, he will be the first runner to achieve this honour in the 20 years of the race.

Incidentally, Kenyan John Kelai, who won in 2007 and 2008, made such an attempt earlier but could finish only third in 2009. Although Ethiopian woman Mulu Seboka secured three wins in Mumbai, she skipped the 2007 edition before claiming her third title.

The first three finishers in both men’s and women’s categories will receive USD 50000, $25000, and $15000 from the prize pot of USD 390,238. A reward of USD 15,000 also awaits those who break the existing records in their respective categories. Ethiopians Hayle Lemi Berhanu (2:07:32) and Anchialem Haymanot (2:24:15) have held the event records since 2023.

The 2025 field includes 11 men and six women having their personal bests faster than the existing Mumbai Marathon course records.

Commenting on the stellar line-up of elite athletes, Vivek Singh, Jt. MD. Procam International, said, “The return of the defending champions, Berhanu and Minsewo augurs well as we step into the landmark 20th edition of the Tata Mumbai Marathon. This race has been the catalyst for the success of the sport of distance running in India, and this elite line-up is a testimony to the growing popularity of TMM worldwide. We wish all participants Godspeed and good luck, as they prepare to go the distance on Sunday, January 19th.”

Apart from Berhanu, the men’s roster includes Kenya’s Philemon Cherop Rono, who finished runner-up in the 2023 edition here. Among other runners with previous Mumbai outings is Eritrean Merhawi Kesete, who finished ninth place the same year.

However, the best from the 2020 batch who is making another appearance this time is Bahrain’s Abdi Ali Gelchu, the fifth-place finisher in his previous running in Mumbai. Gelchu, the Asian junior cross-country champion in 2016, has migrated from Ethiopia and has run for his adopted country Bahrain, from 2014 onwards.

Two promising names to challenge Berhanu this time will be his country-mates Asrar Aberrehman Hiyrden (2:04:43) and Bazezew Asmare (2:04:57) with super-fast timings logged in recent years.

Talking about his preparations for the 2025 edition of the Mumbai Marathon, Berhanu said, “Last year I was really close to the course record. The crowd support along the course was great. I missed improving the course record in 2024, but I will try my best to make it this time. I am confident in having a shot at it. The women’s side looks even more competitive for reigning champion Aberash Minsewo. The Ethiopian, who clocked 2:26:06 to win here on her debut in 2024, which remained her only marathon race, will expect tough competition from more than a dozen runners with superior marks achieved elsewhere.

Only two women runners from her country, Mulu Seboka and Dinknesh Mekash, logged more than one win in Mumbai. From the previous appearances, 2016 winner Shuko Genemo, who finished third two years later, and Feyisa Adanech Anbesa (tenth in 2023) are returning to Mumbai again.

Kenyan Joyce Tele, who clocked an impressive 2:20:17 on her maiden marathon to win in Ljubljana (Slovakia) earlier this year, and Bahrain’s Shitaye Eshete with 2:21:33 logged in the same city during 2019, will be the main contenders for the top spot. Genemo timed 2:21:35 for a silver spot earlier this year in Barcelona and finished third in Frankfurt thereafter on her 2024 campaign, joining the fray to challenge Minsewo.

Ethiopians also field stronger runners in Tigist Getnet (2:23:17 Dubai 2023), Feyisa Adanech (2:24:07 Paris 2022), and Asimarech Naga (2:24:13 Dublin 2024) to make the race interesting. Minsewo revealed, “I was happy to win my first-ever marathon title on debut. Mumbai is a lucky place, and I have not run any marathons elsewhere thereafter. With a strong field entered in 2025, I am confident of improving my performance and retaining the title”.

The Mumbai Marathon is one of the designated marathon races to qualify for the World Championships, which will be held in Tokyo, Japan, in September 2025.

–IANS

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3rd ODI: India, NZ head into series decider with milestones in mind (Preview)

Indore, Jan 17 (IANS) Rajkot witnessed the class of KL Rahul, but improved bowling and the might of Daryl Mitchell gave New Zealand the last laugh as the visitors outclassed India to clinch a seven-wicket win and level the series 1-1. All eyes now turn to Indore, as India and New Zealand battle it out in the series decider.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be in international action for one final time until the next ODI assignment in July. The opening batter is 17 runs away from becoming the 7th opener with 16000 international runs.

Meanwhile, Kohli reclaimed the top spot in the ICC men’s ODI rankings and has scored at least one 50+ in 24 different Indian venues in the format. But Indore remains one of four venues where he’s yet to hit a fifty.

Rahul came to India’s rescue with another outstanding performance, scoring an exhilarating 112 not out off 92 balls to help his team reach a respectable total as the rest struggled. His performance against the Kiwis continues to improve, with 469 runs in 10 innings at an average of 93.8, including a half-century and two centuries. He will aim to make another significant contribution when the teams face off on Sunday.

Run-machine Daryl Mitchell keeps challenging the Men in Blue. He has scored three centuries in his last four ODI innings against India in India, reaching over 130 runs each time. The 34-year-old aims to fire up his performance again to help secure a notable series victory.

India have an undefeated record at Indore, winning all seven ODIs played there. In their most recent matches in 2023, they scored 399/5 versus Australia and 385/9 against New Zealand.

Moreover, skipper Shubman Gill is 70 runs away from reaching 3000 ODI runs. He’s scored centuries in both matches he has played at Indore’s Holkar Stadium and will be looking to maintain that form.

India’s premier spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, had a poor outing in the previous game, conceding 82 runs in his 10-over spell while taking only one wicket, and will look to bounce back in the deciding game.

As for New Zealand, Devon Conway crafted a classy 138 off 100 against India when the two sides last met at this venue in January 2023, and he’ll be among the Kiwi players to watch out for.

There’s plenty at stake in the upcoming series finale. Gill has one more chance to win his first home ODI series as India’s captain. As for New Zealand, they are one win away from a first-ever ODI bilateral series win in India.

When: Sunday, Jan 18, 1:30 PM IST

Where: Holkar Stadium, Indore

Where to watch: Star Sports Network for live TV broadcast and JioHotstar for live streaming

Squads

India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja, Ayush Badoni

New Zealand: Devon Conway (wk), Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell (c), Zakary Foulkes, Nick Kelly, Josh Clarkson, Michael Rae, Kyle Jamieson, Mitchell Hay, Adithya Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Jayden Lennox

–IANS

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