TOM Cruise and David Beckham led Hollywood’s A-list who turned out to watch the United States’ opening match against Paraguay.
Katy Perry belted out a message of unity in a bizarre silver dress at SoFi stadium in Los Angeles as she performed in the third and final opening ceremony of the tournament.
Hollywood stars George Lucas, Halle Berry, Rob Lowe, Owen Wilson, Sofia Vergara, Vince Vaughan, Jamie Foxx and socialite Paris Hilton also watched the game in the sunny 70,000 seat cauldron.
Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis, a FIFA World Cup 2026 Ambassador, welcomed fans and millions around the world before the action got underway.
But it was Perry, 41, and rapper Future who headlined a star-studded ceremony, which also featured stars including Anitta, LISA, Rema and Tyla.
The latter performed alongside Future to perform their hit “Game Time” as an array of dancers strutted their stuff either side while holding golden footballs.
Read more in Football
MIDDLE GROUND
Man Utd prepare £100m midfielder splurge as three-man shortlist drawn up
IN THE DOCK
Andy Carroll denies causing ex Billi ‘distress’ after ‘breaching order again’
LISA, who hails from Thailand, got the crowd going chanting “Goals, goals, goals” and “shots, on shots, on shots” before Brazilian mega-star Anitta and Nigerian rapper Rema joined her on stage.
As the players prepared to kickstart their tournament, Dan + Shay sang the United States national anthem while Purahei Soul did the same for Paraguay.
The SoFi Stadium, a 70,000-seater arena, which is usually the home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, has been transformed for the tournament.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side could be dark horses to go deep into the tournament but will need to also get past Turkey and Australia in the group stage.
Most read in Sport
STICK BOOT IN
ENG OF THE ROAD
FOR FOX SAKE
SIX AND OUT
Before kick-off, swathes of American fans descended on the ground chanting “USA! USA!” as the excitement in Los Angeles reached fever pitch.
President Donald Trump was not on hand to watch the match live but his Secretary of State Marco Rubio was there.
But before the US match Alanis Morrisette and Michael Buble kicked off the second opening ceremony – as Canada claimed their first ever point at a World Cup.
The superstar duo headlined the blockbuster celebrations at the Toronto Stadium before the co-hosts were held to a tense 1-1 draw in front of thousands of supporters on Friday night.
Fans were dazzled by a sea of crimson upon entering the arena as a giant Canadian flag stretched the length of the pitch with a giant golden football at its centre.
Buble, 50, warmed up the crowd ahead of the Group B clash, wowing supporters with a cover of ‘Bring It On Home to Me’ by Sam Cooke, surrounded by the flags of all 48 competing nations
Morissette – who became a cultural phenomenon in the 1990s – then took centre stage as she performed the Canadian national anthem.
The opening ceremony began with dancers in traditional dress and playing the drums before William Prince welcomed the world and honoured Canada’s indigenous communities
Alessia Cara then emerged from behind the golden ball as she belted out “Wild Things” and “Fire” inside its gilded frame.
The singer was followed by high-energy performances from Nora Fatehi, Vegedream and Sanjoy before Elyanna and Jessie Reyez made their entrance.
The duo performed “Illuminate” as the golden football rose into the air surrounded by a blaze of red-and-white smoke.
Fans then counted down the seconds before Argentine referee Facundo Figueroa blew his whistle to get the co-host’s World Cup campaign underway.
Jesse Marsch will be hoping to lead his team to the knockout stages for the first time in the country’s history after winning the nation’s first ever point at a World Cup.
Cyle Larin made himself a national hero as he came off the bench to poke home the equaliser that sent the stadium – and Wrexham owner Ryan Reynolds – into absolute carnage.
Bosnia had looked set to hold onto the first half lead given to them by the injured Edin Dzeko’s understudy, Jovo Lukic before Larin, 31, was fed by fellow sub Promise David just two minutes after coming on.
The result was enough to end Canada’s World Cup losing streak, which was on the verge of being extended to seven on the trot on the biggest stage.
And from the depths of despair – following a woeful first half – Jesse Marsch’s players can now dream of getting through to the knock-out stages, with a win over Qatar in Vancouver on Thursday almost certainly enough to make the last 32.
Meanwhile, the game marked Bosnia-Herzegovina second appearance at a World Cup after being knocked out in the group stages in Brazil 2014.
Earlier in the day, thousands of supporters from both nations descended on Toronto City in seas of red and blue, chanting as they approached the stadium in full voice.
BDO Field – temporarily renamed Toronto Stadium for the tournament – has a normal capacity of 28,000 but this was boosted by a further 15,000 temporary seats at each end.
Canada are one of the three host nations, alongside the USA and Mexico, and this is their third World Cup appearance after 1986 and 2022.
The three opening ceremonies are being produced by Italian creative director Marco Balich, the mastermind behind shows at the Qatar 2022 World Cup and the Milano Cortina Winter Games.
The third and final ceremony will take place at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in the early hours of Saturday morning.
It will be hosted by Jason Sudeikis, best known for his role as soccer coach Ted Lasso, while Katy Perry will also star.
The tournament got up and running on Thursday as Mexico made a flying start, winning 2-0 against South Africa in a hot-tempered contest on Thursday.
Shakira turned up the heat at the tournament’s opening ceremony in Mexico City beforehand in a scintillating performance alongside rapper Burna Boy.
The Colombian beauty lit up the stadium with her trademark high-energy and dance moves, sending supporters wild as the duo danced around a giant golden World Cup at the centre of the arena
The glittering pageant also featured an array of Latin American music in a colourful celebration that also featured rock band Mana, Mexican popstar Belinda and Colombian rappers J Balvin and Ryan Castro.
With six World Cup games set to be hosted in Toronto after Friday’s opener, it was reported earlier this evening that former Arsenal star Thomas Partey will not feature in Ghana‘s World Cup opener after being denied entry to Canada.
Partey, 32, has seen his visa denied by the Canadian government which means he can not travel to the country.