The BBC decided to take a different approach to rivals ITV by not showing the closing ceremony of the World Cup.
The broadcaster drew criticism for their call not to show the opening ceremony in Qatar, with Piers Morgan calling the BBC "outrageously disrespectful” and accusing them of “virtue-signalling guff” and “absurd hypocrisy”. BBC host Gary Lineker defended the decision and pointed out that it was still shown on the BBC Sport website, iPlayer and the red button.
The same decision was taken over the closing ceremony, which took place at the Lusail Stadium at 2pm UK time – an hour before kick-off between Argentina and France. The 15-minute performance, dubbed “A Night to Remember” by organisers, featured poetry and music from World Cup performers Davido and Aisha, Ozuna and Gims, and Nora Fatehi, Balqees, Rahma Riad and Manal.
