Posty is coming in to close.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m sure you’ve at least been mindful of the fact that the World Cup has been here in the U.S. this year. Though I wouldn’t claim to be a soccer fan in any way, shape or form, it’s been pretty incredible to see as of late. We’ve seen some major upsets like Paraguay besting Germany, the U.S. performing quite well and making it to Round 16 before getting knocked out by Belgium and Lionel Messi becoming the all-time leading scorer in the tournament’s history with 19 goals.
Most notably in the social media world, the viral Germany fan on X (formerly Twitter), Freddy, is on what can only be described as a generational run, meeting country superstar Ella Langley and recently being invited to the White House.
Beyond Langley and Freddy, country music has surprisingly been a major hit for the U.S. men’s team. The connection was predominantly highlighted when John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” beat out Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On a Prayer” and Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” to become the victory song of the US Men’s National Soccer Team at this year’s World Cup. This was put on full display after the U.S.’s 2-0 victory over Australia on June 19th, when the squad serenaded the Seattle crowd after the win. They’d play it again weeks later after their 2-0 win over Bosnia & Herzegovina as well.
Additionally, coach Mauricio Pochettino, an Argentina native, would take to his Instagram story to share that he was prepping for a recent game by listening to Lainey Wilson and Weston McKennie was recently seen celebrating the aforementioned win over Bosnia & Herzegovina by singing along to Langley’s record-breaking smash hit, “Choosin’ Texas” as well as Darius Rucker’s cover of “Wagon Wheel.”
As it stands today, there are only three teams remaining in the tournament. Spain has already punched their ticket to the championship after taking down France 2-0 yesterday, and England and Argentina will face off this afternoon to decide on the championship matchup.
Given that this was the first time the U.S. hosted the World Cup since 1994, there’s no doubt that it’s been a major affair. With the championship being held on Sunday, July 19th, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, FIFA has been going all out with its headliners for the halftime show and closing ceremony.
Earlier in the week, it was confirmed that an all-star cast consisting of Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira, and the K-pop supergroup, BTS, will be headlining the halftime show.
Minutes ago, rapper-turned-country-star Post Malone was added to the World Cup’s closing ceremony, which takes place before the championship game.
In turn, Posty will join the likes of Tom Cruise, English singer/songwriter, Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls, Grammy-winning singer/songwriter, Laura Pausini, and popular livestreamer, iShowSpeed — all of whom will make appearances throughout the ceremony.
According to FIFA, the closing ceremony will start at 1.30 p.m. EST, which is 90 minutes before the final kicks off and will “celebrate the 48 teams’ unforgettable journey across the three host countries and 16 host cities throughout the tournament.”
While it would have been nice to see a more traditional country artist headline at some point during the halftime show or closing ceremony, Post’s crossover appeal from both a worldwide and genre perspective makes a lot of sense. Here’s to hoping he pulls out one of his country hits during the performance.
“I Had Some Help”
Big A** Stadium Tour Part Two Tour Dates
Wed Jul 15 – Kansas City, MO – Kauffman Stadium
Fri Jul 17 – Ames, IA – Jack Trice Stadium
Tue Jul 21 – Missoula, MT – Washington-Grizzly Stadium
Fri Jul 24 – Edmonton, AB – Commonwealth Stadium
Tue Jul 28 – Salt Lake City, UT – Rice-Eccles Stadium
*Festival appearance
^ Without Jelly Roll
