Following Tom Cruise’s inaugural speech at the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup Final, a rumor surfaced on X that he made a remark about Jewish people not going to work on the day of the 9/11 attacks. The account Kaguya’s Top Gal, aka @hayasaka_aryan, wrote alongside an image of the Top Gun actor:“‘No Jewish employee went to work on September 11 2001, at the World Trade Center.’ Strange declarations by Tom Cruise at the World Cup final.”The post amassed over 4.2 million views. However, the quote attributed to Tom Cruise is fake. He did not make any such remark. Instead, he spoke about nations uniting through football.“More than 30 days ago, eight nations began a journey. They crossed oceans, they crossed borders, they crossed cultures, and together they showed us why this game belongs to the world,” Cruise, 64, said in part.Not only that, but the claim that nobody from the Jewish community went to work at the WTC on 9/11 is a “long-debunked conspiracy theory with zero evidence.” In fact, hundreds of Jewish people died in the terror attacks at the Twin Towers in 2001.Exploring what Tom Cruise said at the FIFA Men’s World Cup FinalOn Sunday, Tom Cruise officially opened the World Cup Final in front of over 82,000 live spectators at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA. He spoke about the month-long tournament and how it united people worldwide:“We have witnessed greatness, and we have shared in moments of joy. Moments of hope, moments we will all never forget. Football is a language spoken without words, a force that unites people, that turns strangers into friends, and reminds us of what we all have in common.”Ahead of the Spain and Argentina decider, Tom Cruise continued:“But these stories, these stories belong to each and every one of us, to every nation, to every player, to every supporter, to every volunteer, to every dream carried on the pitch. So, as we gather for one final chapter, let us celebrate a tournament that brought the world together. Let us celebrate each other. This is football. This is unity. And this, this is greatness.”The Mission Impossible star was among many celebrities who attended the event. For instance, Jennifer Hudson performed the United States national anthem and introduced the halftime show lineup, including BTS, Justin Bieber, Shakira, and Madonna.Other A-listers such as Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Timothée Chalamet, and Matt Damon were also in attendance.In addition to opening the ceremony, Tom Cruise was seen posing for pictures with Sesame Street icons Elmo and Cookie Monster on the sidelines.“Elmo made a new friend at the game!! Mr Tom Cruise!!!” the official X account of the red puppet shared alongside a photo of the trio.Tom was also seen hanging out with Kermit the Frog, with the character’s Instagram posting a clip of their interaction with the caption:“What a joy to say hi-ho to my pal @tomcruise at the FIFA World Cup Final! We bonded over both doing all our own stunts. (It’s an impossible mission to find a stunt frog in Hollywood).”This is not the first time Cruise was seen presiding over a sporting event. In 2024, he carried the Olympic flag during the closing ceremony at the Stade de France in Paris, greeted fans, and then rode out of the stadium in style on a motorcycle while still holding the flag.The broadcast then showed pre-recorded footage of the actor riding through the French capital, before boarding a private plane and skydiving off it, landing near the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, California. There, he turned the Os into double Olympic rings.Tom is set to appear next in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s feature film Digger later this year.Meanwhile, Spain beat Argentina by 1-0 during extra time to lift their second Men’s World Cup title after 2010.