The match was certainly thrilling enough, going into extra time and all — though fans are still discussing the performances that surrounded the World Cup final.
There was the highly anticipated halftime show, of course, but also the star-studded opening ceremony at New York New Jersey Stadium, which Post Malone headlined on Saturday, July 19.
The beloved country-rock star, 31, expectedly played a couple of hits — “Wow” and “Sunflower” — but before he got to those, Malone debuted a brand-new song that he’s been teasing all week, Rolling Stone reports.
Get a taste of “Chrome Heartbreaker” in the Grammy nominee’s joint Instagram post with the official FIFA World Cup account below.
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Fans have already flooded the post’s comments section to show their support for the “Circles” singer. “Chrome Heartbreaker is a great name,” wrote one Instagram user, while another person commented, “🎵⚽️ So amazing Posty!!! You won today!!! 🏆💜”
By the time his mini-set concluded, one could argue Malone’s set lived up to the hype FIFA President Gianni Infantino provided earlier this week in a statement: “At a time when sport, culture, and global attention converge, Post Malone will deliver a performance designed to celebrate the tournament’s journey and ignite the atmosphere before the world’s attention turns to the two finalists.”
Tom Cruise also made an appearance during the opening festivities, ahead of the release of his new movie, Digger. Jennifer Hudson delivered a memorable rendition of the U.S. national anthem, meanwhile, and YouTube star IShowSpeed performed his song “Champions.”
Later on Saturday came the buzzy halftime show, which also featured big names such as Justin Bieber — though his return to the stage wasn’t what many fans expected. Instead of launching into one of his upbeat biggest hits, the singer decided to take things acoustic and performed his stripped-back song “EVERYTHING HALLELUJAH.” Placed between energetic performances from BTS and Shakira, the emotional ballad immediately stood out — and not everyone understood the choice. Find out more here.