Robbie Williams is set to perform at the opening ceremony of the football World Cup.
Announcing his role at the kick off of the tournament in Russia himself, Williams tweeted that he will be performing on Thursday (June 14) ahead of the first match which features the hosts taking on Saudi Arabia.
Very excited to be returning to Russia to perform at the opening of the @FIFAWorldCup - tune in early on Thursday for an unforgettable show! #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/skwCwt21SM
— Robbie Williams (@robbiewilliams) June 11, 2018
Speaking to organisers, FIFA, Williams added: “I’m so happy and excited to be going back to Russia for such a unique performance. I’ve done a lot in my career, and opening the FIFA World Cup to 80,000 football fans in the stadium and many millions all over the world is a boyhood dream.”
The international football body also confirmed that Russian soprano Aida Garifullina will join Williams during the ceremony which takes an hour before the first game kicks off at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.
Williams is not the only British icon to embrace the tournament, with CBeebies’s Hey Duggee releasing its own, unofficial World Cup anthem, but there is no official song released by England, the only home nation to qualify.
Yet the World Cup represents a myriad of opportunities for music industry, as Music Week editor Mark Sutherland explores here.
Read Squad goals: How the World Cup can boost the music business.
