Could the biggest sporting event in the world double as the launchpad for Post Malone’s next era? FIFA has tapped the genre-hopping superstar to headline the closing ceremony before the 2026 FIFA World Cup final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium, taking the stage 90 minutes before kickoff in a performance designed to cap the tournament’s 39-day run across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Produced in partnership with Balich Wonder Studio, the ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m. local time and will serve as the final entertainment spectacle before the championship match between France and Argentina.
While FIFA has yet to reveal what Malone plans to perform, the appearance comes as anticipation continues to build around his next album. Earlier this year, the singer revealed that his forthcoming Mercury release, The Eternal Buzz, will be a sprawling double album featuring 40 songs, on the heels of recent extended forays into country music. Though he stopped short of announcing a release date, Malone told fans the project was “coming soon” while showing off a dry-erase board divided into two 20-song discs, adding, “Hopefully there’s something for everybody there.”
Now fans have another reason to wonder whether new music could make its live debut on one of the world’s biggest stages. Indeed, Malone shared a snippet of an unreleased song on Instagram that finds him returning to the melodic rap style that first made him a superstar. Over a hazy beat recalling the sounds of Stoney, he raps, “All my money clean, not a damn stain on me / I would pop a bean, 2016 Stoney,” a clear nod to the album that launched him into the mainstream with hits like “White Iverson.”
Either way, FIFA is billing Malone’s set as a “defining cultural moment” that will “celebrate the tournament’s journey and ignite the atmosphere before the world’s attention turns to the two finalists.”
Malone is in the midst of the second edition of his BIG ASS Stadium Tour with Jelly Roll, which hits Ames, Ia., tonight.
