Soccer-FIFA to stage separate World Cup opening ceremonies in Mexico, Canada and US


Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup - Trophy on display in Monterrey - Estadio BBVA, Monterrey, Mexico - March 14, 2026 General view of the World Cup trophy on display REUTERS/Daniel Becerril

May 8 (Reuters) - FIFA ⁠announced on Friday that it will hold separate ⁠opening ceremonies prior to the first game ‌in each of the three host countries for this year's World Cup, which is being held in Mexico, Canada and the ​United States.

The biggest World Cup in ⁠history kicks off on ⁠June 11 in Mexico City, where Grammy Award-winning Mexican ⁠pop ‌band Mana will be performing as part of a lineup that also includes Alejandro ⁠Fernandez and Belinda, FIFA said in a post ​on X.

According ‌to sources, Canadian singers Alanis Morissette, Michael Buble, ⁠Alessia Cara ​andBangladeshi American Sanjoy, who is a Los Angeles-based DJ,will perform ahead of Canada’s opening group stage match against ⁠Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto on ​June 12.

Later that day, American singer-songwriter Katy Perry will headline an opening ceremony ahead of the U.S. team's ⁠match against Paraguay in Los Angeles, where Atlanta rap star Nayvadius Wilburn, better known as Future, will also perform, the sources said.

This year's World Cup marks ​the second time the global soccer ⁠showcase is being co-hosted by multiple countries. The 2002 ​World Cup was co-hosted by ‌South Korea and Japan, with ​the former staging the opening ceremony.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Tom Hogue)

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