Canadian music stars Alanis Morissette and Michael Buble will headline the opening ceremony today as Canada plays its first FIFA World Cup match on home soil against Bosnia-Herzegovina at Toronto Stadium.
The Ottawa-born alt-rocker Morissette will sing the national anthem before kickoff, while the pre-match ceremony features a diverse lineup of Canadian artists including Alessia Cara, Jessie Reyez, William Prince, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream and Elyanna. Toronto-born comedian Will Arnett, named a World Cup ambassador, will also take part in the festivities.
The opening ceremony is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. ET, 90 minutes before kickoff at Toronto Stadium on the Exhibition Place grounds.
The ceremony will reunite Toronto’s Jessie Reyez and Palestine’s Elyanna, who collaborated on Illuminate, a high-energy track from FIFA’s official World Cup 2026 album. Canadian hitmaker Cirkut executive produced the project, aiming to reflect the cultural diversity of the three host nations.
We wanted to represent each country and region and city and bring a different flavour to each song and with each artist, Cirkut said. The Halifax-raised producer added that he aimed to create upbeat, anthemic songs that would fit the energy of soccer matches while also standing on their own outside the tournament.
Serbian-born violinist Aleksandar Gajic has been tapped to perform Bosnia-Herzegovina’s anthem.
For Durham Region residents heading to the match, the ceremony is accessible via the newly boosted GO Transit Lakeshore East service, with trains running every 15 minutes and late-night departures available. Exhibition GO Station serves as the primary transit hub for the stadium, and additional staff will be on hand to help direct fans through what is expected to be a busy day across the transit network.
The U.S. opening ceremony is also set for tonight ahead of the American match against Paraguay, with Katy Perry, Anitta, Future, LISA, Rema and Tyla scheduled to perform. Perry has been making headlines for her relationship with former prime minister Justin Trudeau, calling him the love of her life at a recent event.
Anitta, LISA and Rema collaborated on Goals, the opening track from the FIFA album, while Future and Tyla appear on the second track Game Time.
Today’s match marks a historic moment for Canadian soccer, with Canada hosting World Cup games for the first time. The tournament, jointly hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico, runs until July 19 with six matches scheduled in Toronto and seven in Vancouver.
Canada’s newly sworn-in Governor General Louise Arbour is planning to attend the opener, adding to the significance of the occasion for Canadian sport.
The countdown concert Wednesday night featuring Bryan Adams, Wyclef Jean, Nora Fatehi and The Beaches set the tone for the tournament, drawing thousands of enthusiastic fans to the Fort York FIFA Fan Festival site, though opening day festivities were briefly disrupted by a thunderstorm that forced an evacuation.
With excitement building across the Greater Toronto Area and Durham Region, the World Cup opening ceremony promises to deliver a uniquely Canadian celebration on the world stage as the beautiful game arrives in earnest on home soil.
