Sports
Post Malone to headline FIFA World Cup 2026 closing ceremony
Fans attending the final are encouraged to arrive early to experience the full pre-match programme.
Global superstar Post Malone will headline the FIFA World Cup 2026 closing ceremony, delivering a landmark performance that will usher in the final at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, 19 July.
According to FIFA, produced in creative partnership with Balich Wonder Studio, the closing ceremony will start at 13:30 local time, 90 minutes before kick-off, and fuse world-class entertainment and football in a moment that unites the world.
At its centre, Post Malone will deliver a headline performance befitting the scale of the occasion. Known for redefining genres and commanding the world’s biggest stages, he will step into a defining cultural moment before football’s next champions are crowned.
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,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“We are thrilled to have so many stars taking to the pitch, from both the football and entertainment worlds. The closing ceremony will set the tone for a historic FIFA World Cup final, uniting the passion of 48 teams, 16 host cities and millions of fans on one unforgettable stage.”
A nine-time diamond-certified global superstar, Post Malone regularly redefines history, by blurring boundaries and sparking conversation with every move. Most recently, he released his debut country album, F-1 Trillion, which landed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. His catalogue features diamond-certified hits including rockstar, I Fall Apart, Psycho, White Iverson, Better Now, Congratulations, Circles and Sunflower, which became the highest-certified single in RIAA history.
Fans attending the final are encouraged to arrive early to experience the full pre-match programme
Sports
Lightning kills 24-year-old Thailand footballer during match
Video footage from the match shows players running across the rain-soaked pitch when a lightning bolt suddenly struck the ground near them, producing a bright flash followed by flames and smoke.
•Safwan Awae
A 24-year-old footballer,Safwan Awae has died and 12 other players were injured after lightning struck a football pitch during a match in southern Thailand.
The incident occurred on August 4, 2026, at Santiphap Stadium in Narathiwat province as a monsoon storm brought heavy rain during the game.
Video footage from the match shows players running across the rain-soaked pitch when a lightning bolt suddenly struck the ground near them, producing a bright flash followed by flames and smoke.
The lightning struck Safwan Awae, who collapsed on the pitch.Spectators and others at the stadium immediately rushed onto the field in an attempt to help the player, while emergency responders were called to the scene.
Sports
Ugandan soccer star dies after assault in capital
“David was not just a footballer. He was both a leader and an inspiration to a generation. As Captain of SC Villa, he led with courage, humility and passion. In the Uganda Cranes jersey, he carried the hopes of a nation,” the Federation of Uganda Football Associations said in a statement.
• David Owori, SC Villa captain
Uganda international footballer David Owori, captain of one of the country’s biggest soccer clubs, has died after an assault in the capital Kampala, police said.
Owori, 28, captain of SC Villa, was critically injured by unidentified assailants in a suburb of Kampala on Tuesday, police spokesperson Racheal Kawala said.
He was found unconscious by passers-by, who took him to a nearby hospital.
He was transferred to another hospital where he was later pronounced dead, Kawala said.
“David was not just a footballer. He was both a leader and an inspiration to a generation. As Captain of SC Villa, he led with courage, humility and passion. In the Uganda Cranes jersey, he carried the hopes of a nation,” the Federation of Uganda Football Associations said in a statement.
Sports
FIFA back Infantino at crisis meeting but shelve World Cup privatisation plan
Infantino has come under increasing pressure, even from within his organisation, over his handling of the aborted plan to open the World Cup to private investment , fuelling calls for him to step down.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has received the “full support” of senior directors on Wednesday at a crisis meeting in Morocco.
Infantino has come under increasing pressure, even from within his organisation, over his handling of the aborted plan to open the World Cup to private investment , fuelling calls for him to step down.
In a statement Wednesday, FIFA’s leadership acknowledged “that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to media”.
After Wednesday’s meeting in Rabat, the FIFA Secretary General and members of the FIFA Management Board in attendance said in a statement they “reaffirmed their full support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, as the only official elected by the 211 FIFA Member Associations.
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