Katy Perry's Dazzling World Cup Opener: The Unexpected Twist That Stole the Show
Katy Perry kicked off the 2026 World Cup with a bang.
She brought the energy at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles for the tournament’s opening ceremony Friday night, wearing a silver Stella McCartney FW26 Ready-to-Wear dress.
The floor-length dress featured an exaggerated waistline and was constructed with what appears to be long strands of tinsel — perhaps a nod to Tinseltown, the home of this year’s competition.
The pop star performed her song “Wonder,” off her 2024 album “143.”
Perry wasn’t alone for the performance — as she chose to share the worldwide stage with a special guest.
The day before she took to the stage, Perry shared a TikTok video introducing the world to Tius, a 10-year-old boy from Norway.
“That little voice you’re listening to right now is Tius,” she wrote alongside the clip as a young voice can be heard singing.
“Tius recorded his part on ‘Wonder’ when he was 5 years old in 2021. I heard his vocal in 2023 and was inspired to write the verses for ‘Wonder’ and added it to my sixth album,” she explained. “Tius is 10 now and flew all the way to LA from Norway to sing this song with me on Friday at the World Cup ✨⚽.”
Perry opened the star-studded number, which also included Tyla, Anitta and more.
The US intro is one of three opening ceremonies by the host countries, with Shakira headlining in Mexico City on Thursday and Alanis Morrisette, Michael Bublé and more in Canada Friday afternoon.
While performing on behalf of the United States, Perry also has connections up north after going public with her relationship with former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in December.
Since then, her “Teenage Dream”-era wardrobe has become decidedly more subdued, especially for public political events — but she brought back her pop star ways for her on-stage performance Friday night.
The couple made their red carpet debut earlier this week, when Trudeau accompanied her to the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of her new concert movie.
The pair, who have been together for nearly a year, weren’t shy and showed tons of PDA for the cameras, hugging during the viewing of “Katy Perry: The Lifetimes Tour – Live From Paris.”
We’ll see what team the California native roots for throughout the tournament.
