The 2026 FIFA World Cup arrived in the United States on Friday with a Hollywood-style opening ceremony at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles before the third co-host, the United States, began its campaign against Paraguay in the Group D opener.
The temporary rebranding of the venue as Los Angeles Stadium set the tone for a spectacle designed to reflect the city’s identity. A giant image of the Hollywood sign appeared on the stadium’s screens as an announcer welcomed fans to the country. The ceremony featured a performance lineup including Future, Tyla, Anitta and K-pop star Lisa, with costumes and staging inspired by Los Angeles street art and the city’s creative industries.
Actors and entertainers joined the event, with Jason Sudeikis and Katy Perry scheduled to appear just before kickoff. In the stands, celebrities including Tom Cruise, David Beckham, Halle Berry, Rob Lowe, Owen Wilson and Paris Hilton watched as dancers moved around a massive replica of the World Cup trophy placed at midfield.
The futuristic 70,000-seat stadium displayed giant gold letters spelling FIFA from the roof, matching the color favored by U.S. President Donald Trump, who did not attend. Instead, Trump called the team and offered encouragement, saying he believed they had a strong chance of going all the way.
American fans turned the match into a patriotic scene, with many dressed as Uncle Sam, the Statue of Liberty or bald eagles. Paraguay’s players were greeted by loud jeers during warmups, though South American support was also visible, with dozens of Paraguayan flags scattered among the sea of red, white and blue. The atmosphere reflected the multicultural and highly charged tone of a World Cup opening on U.S. soil.
On the field, U.S. defender Chris Richards overcame fitness concerns to start, while Paraguay also included key attacker Julio Enciso in its lineup. The match marked the next step in a tournament already underway in North America, after Mexico and Canada began their campaigns with their own opening ceremonies in their respective countries.
Mexico opened the competition in the Group A opener with a 2-0 win over South Africa, while Canada earned a historic first point in a World Cup final after battling back to draw 1-1 with Bosnia-Herzegovina in Group B. With those results, all three co-hosts had now made their tournament debut, setting the stage for the United States to try to match the early momentum from its regional partners.
The Los Angeles event combined sport, entertainment and national symbolism, turning the start of the U.S. World Cup journey into a high-profile showcase. The night blended celebrity appearances, music, and stadium theatrics with the intensity of tournament football, underscoring the scale of the event as the world’s biggest soccer competition expanded across North America.
