The world’s biggest soccer tournament is back in the United States for the first time in over 30 years. Katy Perry helped kick off the celebration in unforgettable fashion. The former “American Idol” judge took the stage in Los Angeles during the opening ceremony for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. She gave fans a high-energy performance right before Team USA took the field. There were thousands in attendance and millions watching around the world. Katy helped set the tone for what many are saying will be the biggest World Cup in history.
Katy Perry Takes Center Stage
About 10 minutes before the kickoff of the World Cup 2026 opening match between the United States and Paraguay, Katy Perry took the stage. For her performance, Perry sang “Wonder” while holding the hand of a 10-year-old Norwegian singer, Tius Luka, who sang the opening and closing lines of the song.
Who is Luka? He happened to record the song with Perry in 2021 when he was 5 years old. Before their performance, Perry posted a video of herself and Luka on social media.
She said, “I heard his voice in 2023 and was inspired to write the verses for ‘Wonder’ and added it to my sixth album. Tius is 10 now and flew all the way to LA from Norway to sing this song with me.”
Fans React to Performance
Fans were loving the performance, especially since it’s not a song everyone knows. They were quick to jump into the comments and share their thoughts.
One person wrote, “WHERE HAD KATY HIDEN THIS SONG? Lyrics almost make me cry,” and another added, “Another great song which we realised at the opening ceremony.”
The love for Katy continued, as one fan wrote, “KATY QUEEN As always made a super performance️,” and another fan added, “Katy’s voice is absolutely healing and calming,” and a third fan wrote, “She’s made for moments like this omfgggg so iconic!!!”
Buzzing Over Her Dress
It wasn’t just the performance fans were talking about. For her performance, Katy wore a sparkly silver dress, which happened to have a structured hoop that caused it to sharply jut out at the waist.
This was a Stella McCartney FW26 Ready-to-Wear dress. The floor-length dress featured an exaggerated waistline. It was constructed with what looks like long strands of tinsel. It could be a nod to Tinseltown, the home of this year’s competition.
World Cup 2026 Lineup
This is the first World Cup on home soil for the United States since 1994. They kicked things off with the high-energy opening ceremony in Los Angeles for the United States.
Now, the USA team is facing Paraguay after Canada debuted earlier on Friday, and Mexico saw its first match on Thursday. This World Cup is being hosted by all three countries and is set to be the largest ever, with 48 nations competing.
The closing ceremony will take place on July 19, where FIFA is planning a star-studded show for the closing ceremony. In addition, they will host their first-ever halftime show in their 100-year history.
Headliners for that closing ceremony will be Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Madonna, and Shakira. That final game will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
