Katy Perry, Tius Luka captivate fans with 'Wonder' at FIFA World Cup 2026 opening ceremony in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, June 13
Pop star Katy Perry delivered a memorable performance at the FIFA World Cup 2026 opening ceremony at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, captivating thousands of fans with an emotional rendition of her song 'Wonder' ahead of the United States' campaign opener against Paraguay.
The ceremony marked the start of the US leg of the FIFA World Cup 2026, which is being jointly hosted by Mexico and Canada.
Taking the stage around 10 minutes before kickoff, Perry delivered a memorable performance of 'Wonder' alongside Tius Luka, who recorded the song with her in 2021 when he was five years old.
The performance drew enthusiastic applause from spectators and quickly generated attention on social media platforms.
The performance began with Perry holding Luka's hand as the youngster sang the opening line of the song. Perry moved across a specially designed platform positioned at the centre of the pitch, performing the uplifting track before thousands of fans gathered at the stadium.
The official Instagram handle of the FIFA World Cup shared a video of the performance, which soon attracted significant engagement from football and music fans worldwide.
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In addition to her performance, Perry also garnered attention online for her striking silver outfit. The sparkly dress featured a dramatic design that flared out at the waist
Ahead of the performance, Perry had shared her excitement on social media.
"Tune in early to Friday's USA vs Paraguay match to see Tius and I perform "Wonder" at the Protocol Ceremony @fifaworldcup," she wrote.
Fans quickly flooded the comments section with messages of support. "My favourite song!!" one user wrote, while another commented, "Let's go queen."
The performance comes as the FIFA World Cup 2026 gets underway across North America. The tournament officially began on June 11 (local time) with the opening match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City.
The first opening ceremony in Mexico City featured performances by Shakira and Burna Boy, who delivered the first live performance of "Dai Dai," the official song of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Several other artists also performed during the Mexico City ceremony, including Alejandro Fernandez, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Angeles Azules and Mana.
Meanwhile, a second opening ceremony was held in Toronto, Canada, featuring performances by Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Michael Buble, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream and William Prince.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the largest edition of the tournament to date, featuring 48 teams competing across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The competition is scheduled to conclude with the final on July 19.
— ANI
Reader Comments
The energy at SoFi Stadium must have been electric! Katy Perry always knows how to put on a show. That silver outfit was definitely bold - very Hollywood! But I wish they'd let the football speak for itself sometimes. These opening ceremonies are getting bigger than the matches themselves!
Finally some positive news to brighten the day! The visuals of Katy Perry and Tius Luka holding hands and singing together gave me goosebumps. This is what makes global events like the World Cup so special - bringing people from all cultures together through music and sport. And that Nora Fatehi representing India at the Toronto ceremony was just the cherry on top! 👏
Lovely performance but can we talk about how they're spreading these ceremonies across three countries? Seems like overkill. One opening ceremony should be enough - let the focus be on the actual football. India keeps it simple with just one opening for our events, and it works fine. Also slightly disappointed that Nora Fatehi was in Toronto and not the main LA show. She deserved more visibility.
As someone who grew up watching World Cups on Doordarshan, this feels surreal. 48 teams, three host nations, and now pop stars doing protocol ceremonies. The game has truly gone global. Katy Perry's performance was good, but I'm more excited for Shakira's opening in Mexico City - now that's a World Cup anthem queen! Wishing all teams the best from Bangalore. 🏆
Having three opening ceremonies for one tournament is ridiculous. It's like FIFA is just mil
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