FIFA brings Tyla, Future, LISA to Los Angeles World Cup opening

SoFi Stadium became FIFA’s stage for a much bigger message than a celebrity concert: the United States was using the World Cup opening ceremony to sell soccer as a mass-market national event. With Tyla, Future, LISA, Anitta and Rema in the lineup, the Los Angeles show was designed as both spectacle and signal, a high-energy launch for a tournament FIFA said would unite North America in one shared celebration.

The ceremony took place in Los Angeles on Friday, June 12, 2026, at Los Angeles Stadium, also known as SoFi Stadium, with the show set to begin at 16:30 local time. FIFA urged fans to arrive early because the crowd itself would play an active role in the production, a choice that made the stadium atmosphere part of the performance rather than just the backdrop. Katy Perry was also listed among the headliners, and FIFA said additional international stars could still be added.

FIFA framed Los Angeles as the “capital mundial del entretenimiento” and described the ceremony as a “celebration histórica,” underscoring how deliberately the organization tied the World Cup to America’s entertainment economy. The production choices reflected that ambition. Instead of a single centralized kickoff, FIFA staged three separate opening ceremonies in Canada, Mexico and the United States, a first in World Cup history, as part of an effort to make the tournament feel continental from the start.

Mexico opened the tournament in Ciudad de México, with its ceremony set 90 minutes before kickoff at Mexico City Stadium. Canada held its own opening in Toronto, also 90 minutes before the initial match, with artists including Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream and William Prince. The three-city format turned the opening week into a coordinated North American rollout, not just a pregame show.

Los Angeles also doubled as the launch pad for the tournament’s official music campaign. “Goals,” by LISA, Anitta and Rema, was presented as part of the Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Album, and FIFA said the song would be performed live for the first time in Los Angeles. The pairing of global pop acts with one of the country’s biggest stadiums was meant to widen the sport’s cultural reach in the United States.

The broader tournament will stretch across 104 matches in 16 host cities, beginning June 11, 2026, in Mexico and ending July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium. In Los Angeles, FIFA’s opening ceremony was more than a party: it was the opening argument for how America intends to host the world.