Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Katy Perry turn out at SoFi Stadium for World Cup debut

SoFi Stadium looked less like a soccer venue than a Hollywood premiere as Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Katy Perry, Sofía Vergara and Bill Gates filled the stands for the United States’ World Cup debut. The scene captured how the tournament has crossed deeper into U.S. entertainment culture, with Los Angeles serving as the country’s biggest stage.

Katy Perry’s presence carried more than celebrity wattage. FIFA announced on May 8 that Perry would headline the U.S. opening ceremony in Los Angeles, alongside Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema and Tyla, for a program set for Friday, June 12, 2026. FIFA described the North American launch as historic because the 2026 World Cup is the first to feature three opening ceremonies, one each in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The tournament itself marks a structural shift as well. The 2026 World Cup is the first edition with 48 teams and three host nations, Canada, Mexico and the United States. FIFA has fixed the final for July 19, 2026, in New York/New Jersey, while the group stage runs through June 27 and the round of 32 begins June 28. FIFA also confirmed 1,248 players on the final rosters submitted June 2, a scale that reflects how much larger this World Cup will be than any before it.

SoFi Stadium, which is being called Los Angeles Stadium during the tournament, is scheduled to host eight matches in all. That slate includes five group-stage games, two round-of-32 matches and a quarterfinal on July 10. The Los Angeles region’s bracket also brings in national teams from the United States, Paraguay, Iran, New Zealand, Switzerland, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Türkiye, putting Inglewood at the center of one of the tournament’s most heavily watched corridors.

For Los Angeles, the celebrity turnout was more than a photo opportunity. It showed FIFA treating Southern California not just as a host city, but as a commercial gateway, where soccer now shares space with the city’s film, music and celebrity economy.