Alessia Cara opens Canada's World Cup with star-studded ceremony

Alessia Cara, Jessie Reyez, and Nora Fatehi kicked off Canada's first FIFA World Cup on home soil Friday, June 12, with an opening ceremony at Toronto Stadium.

Traditional Indigenous dancers opened the pre-match show before Winnipeg folk artist William Prince welcomed fans. "From the First Peoples of this land to those who came from every part of the world, generation after generation, this is more than a moment — this is true connection," Prince said.

Cara, a Brampton singer-songwriter, emerged from the centre of a giant golden soccer ball installation at midfield to perform "Wild Things" and "Fire." Canadian-Moroccan artist Nora Fatehi, alongside Bangladeshi-American DJ Sanjoy and French hip-hop artist Vegedream, performed "Siir Siir" from FIFA's official World Cup 2026 album.

Brampton R&B singer Reyez and Palestinian pop star Elyanna closed the celebration with "Illuminate," their track from the project, as fireworks lit up the stadium.

Producer Cirkut told The Canadian Press the goal was to reflect the cultural diversity of host countries Canada, the United States, and Mexico. "We wanted to represent each country and region and city and bring a different flavour to each song," he said. "I'm excited to hear the music in some stadiums around the world."

The ceremony reflected efforts to create anthemic songs that work both inside stadiums and as standalone tracks.