FIFA have looked at the World Cup closing ceremony and decided football isn't enough — so they've gone full Las Vegas production and honestly, we're not sure how to feel about it.
Post Malone headlining the 2026 FIFA World Cup closing ceremony is the kind of announcement that makes you stop scrolling. Not because it's wrong, exactly, but because it's so aggressively not what you'd expect from football's governing body. Then again, this is FIFA we're talking about — subtlety was never really on the agenda.
The Lineup Is... A Lot
Post Malone is the headline act, which at least makes a certain kind of sense. He's one of the biggest artists on the planet, his crossover appeal is massive, and he's got the sort of stadium presence that can fill a closing ceremony rather than just occupy one. Fine. We'll take it.
But then it gets properly strange. Tom Cruise — yes, that Tom Cruise — is also reportedly involved. We're not entirely sure in what capacity a Hollywood actor contributes to a football ceremony, but here we are. Maybe he'll abseil from the roof. Maybe he'll run, because he always runs. Nobody knows.
And then there's IShowSpeed. The streaming personality has become something of an unlikely football mascot over the past couple of years, his genuine, chaotic enthusiasm for the game earning him genuine affection from fans worldwide. His inclusion is the one that actually makes the most sense from a cultural standpoint — he represents the newer, younger audience that FIFA desperately wants to court, and he's done it organically rather than through a cheque.
The whole thing is FIFA's version of saying "look how relevant we are" — which, given that the [2026 World Cup has already been generating serious talking points on and off the pitch](/getohedz/football/why-hydration-breaks-could-be-here-to-stay), feels slightly unnecessary.
What's This Actually About?
Let's be honest with ourselves. FIFA aren't booking Post Malone because they think football fans particularly demanded it. This is about eyeballs. The 2026 tournament is spread across the United States, Canada, and Mexico — North America is the market FIFA want to crack wide open, and a closing ceremony that looks like a Super Bowl halftime show is a deliberate signal.
It's the same logic that's brought football culture and mainstream American entertainment closer together in recent years. Folarin Balogun's breakout tournament has already attracted serious attention — [he's since signed with LeBron James' agency Klutch Sports](/getohedz/football/balogun-joins-lebrons-agency-after-breakout-wc) — and that collision between sport and entertainment culture is only accelerating. FIFA are leaning into it hard.
Whether it serves the football or overshadows it is another question entirely. There's something slightly uncomfortable about the sport's biggest moment being bookended by a celebrity circus. The games should be the story. Usually they are.
Our Take
We don't hate this lineup. Post Malone is a genuine artist, not a baffling left-field choice. IShowSpeed's presence is actually earned. And if Tom Cruise does something completely unhinged, at least it'll be memorable.
But FIFA would do well to remember that no amount of production budget makes up for a dull final. Give us a proper match and the ceremony can be whatever it wants. Get the football wrong and no headline act saves you.