Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban Divorce: How a Tense FIFA Match Exposed Cracks in Their 'Perfect' Marriage

Nicole Kidman filed for divorce from Keith Urban after a public appearance at a tense FIFA match that, experts say, laid bare a marriage already under strain.

Kidman, 58, officially filed for divorce in Davidson County, Tennessee, on 30 September 2025, citing 'irreconcilable differences' and submitting a signed marital dissolution agreement and parenting plan at the time of filing.

Court filings show the pair worked out custody arrangements before the filing: Kidman requested to be the primary residential parent of their daughters, and the papers include a parenting seminar order and a waiver of spousal support.

That legal paperwork arrived after months of behind-the-scenes negotiation, sources and court records say, and followed a summer in which the couple, both Australians who lived part-time in Nashville, kept largely separate public schedules as Kidman filmed in London and Urban toured internationally. Reuters and People report the pair had been living apart since early summer 2025.

Court Filing

The filings lodged on 30 September 2025 make plain the legal position: Kidman listed the date of separation as the filing date and cited 'irreconcilable differences' as the basis for the action.

The marital dissolution agreement attached to the court papers outlines a parenting plan, child-support worksheet, and mutual waivers of spousal support; language that suggests much of the practical work had been privately negotiated before the filing went public.

Local court coverage and regional outlets that obtained the documents emphasise the notarised and initialled nature of the agreement, signalling the couple's lawyers had already formalised many terms. Reports that reviewed the filings noted that both parties agreed to parent-education classes within 60 days, a detail that highlights how the couple sought to contain the split with an eye to stability for their children.

The Fifa Match That Fans Say Spoke Volumes

A photograph now widely circulated as the couple's last high-profile outing together was taken on 20 June 2025 at GEODIS Park in Nashville, during a FIFA Club World Cup match between Los Angeles FC and Espérance Sportive de Tunis.

AFP/Getty images captured Kidman and Urban in the stands; the images, a primary visual record, show the pair not holding hands and appearing disengaged at times, images that have since been analysed by body-language commentators.

An outlet commissioned body-language analysts who described the photographs as evidence of emotional disconnect; phrases such as 'tortured body language' and 'noticeable emotional disconnect' have been used by commentators to interpret posture, gaze, and micro-gestures.

Those readings are explicitly interpretative; behaviour analysts can offer plausible readings, but cannot substitute for the lived truth inside a marriage. For readers and editors, the images should be treated as evidence of an uneasy public moment, not proof of private acts or intentions.

Video clips of the couple arriving at the match were also shared on social platforms, including a short clip from DAZN that shows their entrance; those moving images add context to the stills and remain available on social channels and via Getty's editorial video archive.

Career Pressure, Distance and Private Negotiations

The public timeline: an anniversary Instagram post from Kidman in late June, followed by reports of separation in late September, belies a longer private reality. Multiple outlets report that Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman had quietly negotiated elements of their separation over the summer, including a parenting plan signed in late August and early September, suggesting the legal split was the culmination of weeks of private talks rather than a single sudden event.

The backdrop is two high-pressure careers that involve prolonged travel: Kidman finished work in London on the Practical Magic 2 shoot while Urban remained on the road with his High and Alive tour.

Fans and commentators have pointed to past interviews that celebrated the couple's devotion — Kidman told PEOPLE in 2024 that Urban was 'my love, my deep, deep love' — a contrast that has made the public reaction to the split especially stark.