FIFA's 2026 World Cup final was accompanied by a widely mocked halftime show and Post Malone pre-show, with critics arguing that the sprawling entertainment overshadowed and even disrupted the football itself. Writing for Stereogum, Margaret Farrell described the production as one of the strangest and most uneven spectacles FIFA has staged, suggesting the extended interval altered the rhythm of a drawn-out, cautious match.

Post Malone opened the pre-show wearing a T-shirt referencing Elmo's "I Just Hope That Both Teams Have Fun" plea from the NBA finals, before performing new track "Chrome Heartbreaker" alongside "Wow." and "Sunflower" with Swae Lee. The halftime show itself packed in Muppets, a children's choir, an orchestra led by Gustavo Dudamel, Madonna performing "Music," BTS performing "Dynamite," and Justin Bieber delivering an acoustic rendition of "Everything Hallelujah" after a pep talk from Ted Lasso characters. Shakira and Burna Boy's performance of official anthem "Dai Dai" was singled out as the one segment that worked, while the rest was branded tone-deaf and overblown.