Celebrities including Tom Cruise, David Beckham and Halle Berry attended the Hollywood-style opening ceremony.
Published June 13, 2026
The World Cup arrived in the United States with a Hollywood-style opening ceremony, as the tournament’s third co-hosts kicked off their opening match against Paraguay in Los Angeles.
“Welcome to America” rang out Friday as a close-up of the city’s famous Hollywood sign was shown on a giant screen at SoFi Stadium, temporarily renamed Los Angeles Stadium.
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A marching band played music, which was later joined by singers such as Future, Tyra, Anitta, and K-pop singer Lisa. Costumes and props were designed to evoke Los Angeles street art and the city’s creative industries.
Actor Jason Sudeikis and singer Katy Perry were scheduled to perform just before Friday’s kickoff.
Celebrities including Tom Cruise, David Beckham, Halle Berry, Rob Lowe, Owen Wilson and Paris Hilton watched performers dance around the giant World Cup trophy in the center of the pitch.
Hanging from the roof of the space-age 70,000 Stadium were the giant gold letters that read “FIFA,” a favorite of U.S. President Donald Trump, who was not in attendance.
Instead, he spoke to his team on the phone and said, “I think you have a very good chance of going all the way, and I wish you the best of luck.”
American fans, many dressed as Uncle Sam, the Statue of Liberty or bald eagles, playfully booed the Paraguayan players as they appeared for warm-ups.
“I believe we can go all the way,” said American fan Isaac Pizarro, who paid $1,900 per ticket to attend with his 14-year-old son Jacob.
But South American support also showed up in force, with dozens of Paraguayan flags visible amidst a sea of red, white and blue being flown by both countries.
US centre-back Chris Richards has been named in the starting lineup after overcoming injury doubts. So is dangerous Paraguayan winger Julio Enciso.
Fellow co-hosts Mexico and Canada have already played their first matches, each holding separate opening ceremonies at home.
Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0, and Canada earned its first point in a World Cup final with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
