TORONTO — Alanis Morissette is set to have soccer fans head over feet as she performs at Canada’s opening ceremony ahead of its first FIFA World Cup game on home soil today.
The Ottawa-born alt-rocker will sing the national anthem before Canada faces Bosnia-Herzegovina at Toronto Stadium.
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The pre-match ceremony will also feature performances by a diverse lineup of Canadian artists including Michael Bublé, Alessia Cara, Jessie Reyez, William Prince, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream and Elyanna.
Toronto-born comedian Will Arnett will take part as well, with the “Arrested Development” actor being named an ambassador for this year’s World Cup.
Serbian-born violinist Aleksandar Gajic has been tapped to perform Bosnia-Herzegovina’s anthem.
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The opening ceremony is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. ET, 90 minutes before kickoff.
The event will reunite Toronto’s Reyez and Palestine’s Elyanna, who teamed up on “Illuminate,” a high-voltage tune from FIFA’s official World Cup 2026 album. Canadian hitmaker Cirkut executive produced the project.
The U.S. opening ceremony is also set to take place tonight ahead of the Americans’ match against Paraguay, with Katy Perry, Anitta, Future, LISA, Rema and Tyla slated to perform.
Perry has been making headlines lately for her relationship with former prime minister Justin Trudeau, who accompanied the “Firework” singer Monday to the premiere of her Lifetimes Tour concert film at the Tribeca Festival in New York City.
During a Q-and-A portion of the evening, Perry spoke candidly about Trudeau, calling him “the love of my life” and that she felt “very anchored” by her relationship with him.
Anitta, LISA and Rema join forces on “Goals,” the opening track from the FIFA album. Future and Tyla are on the second song “Game Time.”
Cirkut told The Canadian Press earlier this month that the goal of the project 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 and with each artist,” he says.
The Halifax-raised producer added that he aimed to helm upbeat, anthemic songs that would fit the energy of soccer matches but also stand on their own outside of the World Cup.
“I’m excited to hear the music in some stadiums around the world,” he said.
“Soccer, football, it’s a great sport and it’s fun to see nations come together and compete. It’s a fun thing to be a part of.”
Feature image- Alanis Morissette performs during the Corona Capital music festival in Mexico City, Friday, Nov. 17, 2023 (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo).
