Robbie Williams has released a new version of the official FIFA anthem Desire, and this one adds Nicole Scherzinger to the song’s core pairing with Laura Pausini. The three singers are set to unveil the live version at Sunday’s World Cup final closing ceremony, where the song will be performed in front of a global television audience expected to reach around two billion people.
The timing matters because the release lands just as the final event moves into view, with the closing ceremony set for the New York New Jersey Stadium shortly before Spain kick off against Argentina. Williams, who was confirmed as FIFA’s official music ambassador last year, first played Desire live with Pausini last July before a match between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain in MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, then later performed it again as a duet with Scherzinger at the final draw for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
That makes the new version more than a simple repeat. The original recording featured only Williams and Pausini, while this release folds Scherzinger into the arrangement, with all three sharing vocal duties and harmonising on the chorus. The change gives the anthem a different shape for the biggest stage it has yet been given, and it also turns a song that was already tied to FIFA’s showpiece events into something built for the finale itself.
The wider ceremony underlines the scale of the moment. Other performers lined up include Post Malone, Tom Cruise and Jennifer Hudson, while the World Cup final will also feature its first ever Halftime Show, organised by Chris Martin and set to include Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira and BTS. The event also supports the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which is trying to raise $100million to improve children’s access to education and football worldwide.
For Williams, the release adds another layer to a busy stretch around football. Last month he became the foundation ambassador and official front-of-shirt partner for Port Vale FC, and his RW mark is due to appear on the club’s home and away shirts across both the 2026/27 and 2027/28 seasons. But on Sunday, the focus is simpler: the first live outing of this new Desire arrangement, with Scherzinger and Pausini beside him, before the final sends the tournament into its closing moments.
