Canada’s 2026 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony was held Friday at BMO Field in Toronto, with Michael Buble and Alanis Morissette among the featured performers before the host nation met Bosnia and Herzegovina. The ceremony began at 6:30pm BST and formed the second stop in a tournament launch spread across three host nations.
Alessia Cara, Jessie Reyez, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, William Prince, Elyanna and Vegedream were also listed for the Canadian event, which followed Mexico’s opening ceremony on June 11 and came ahead of the United States’ own showcase later in the day. FOX and FS1 carried all three opening ceremonies in the United States, while FOX One streamed every ceremony and match live. Tubi also simulcast the Mexico and USA ceremonies and their opening matches for free.
The split opening marked a new way to start the World Cup, with ceremonies staged on two consecutive days rather than at a single venue. Canada’s date carried extra weight because it doubled as the home launch of the country’s campaign, even as the tournament had already drawn scrutiny after early worries about empty seats in Guadalajara on day one. Toronto was expected to avoid that problem, but the turnout at BMO Field was not immediately given.
Vegedream’s appearance also connected the Canadian lineup to a broader tournament soundtrack, after he was associated with the rallying line “Ramenez la coupe a la maison.” The final opening ceremony was set for SoFi Stadium in Inglewood ahead of the United States’ opener against Paraguay, and the full competition runs through July 19, when the World Cup final is scheduled for New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. For Canada, the ceremony was the start of a home-field moment that moved straight into the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
