The USA’s World Cup 2026 will be kicked off in spectacular fashion following performances from Katy Perry and Future as the tournament co-hosts play Paraguay in their opening match of the tournament in Los Angeles.
Pop star Perry will be headlined the opening show in California, bringing down the curtain on the festivities after Shakira performance in Mexico City and Michael Buble and Alanis Morissette took to the stage before Canada’s first match.
The USA, managed by former Tottenham and Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino, will be expected to advance from a group that features tonight’s opponents Paraguay as well as Australia and Turkey, with an eye on progressing further too.
President Donald Trump will be notable by his absence at the SoFi Stadium, ahead of his 80th birthday celebrations in Washington this weekend, while empty seats and the World Cup’s mandatory drinks breaks have been controversial aspects of the tournament so far.
Follow live updates from the USA’s opening ceremony and the Paraguay match, below
How can I watch the opening ceremony and USA vs Paraguay?
Viewers in the UK can watch the game for free on BBC One or stream it live on BBC iPlayer.
Viewers in the US can watch the game on FOX and Tubi, while a Spanish-language broadcast will be available on Telemundo.
When is the USA’s opening ceremony?
The United States will put on the third and final World Cup opening ceremony tonight, hoping to upstage Canada and Mexico by saving the best ‘til last.
It will get starts 12:30am BST on Saturday 13 June (i.e. tonight) at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles – the newest stadium being used at this summer’s tournament.
World Cup 2026 USA opening ceremony LIVE!
The USA’s World Cup 2026 will be kicked off in spectacular fashion following performances from Katy Perry and Future as the tournament co-hosts play Paraguay in their opening match of the tournament in Los Angeles.
Pop star Perry will be headlined the opening show in California, bringing down the curtain on the festivities after Shakira performance in Mexico City and Michael Buble and Alanis Morissette took to the stage before Canada’s first match.
Good evening!
Hello there and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the United States’ World Cup opening ceremony ahead of the host nation’s curtain-raiser with Paraguay!
We’ll bring you all the latest from the extravaganza at SoFi Stadium, which will be headlined by Future and Katy Perry, before sinking our teeth into some proper World Cup action.
Stay tuned!
