Former Canada prime minister Justin Trudeau explained why he didn’t attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony in Canada on Friday (June 12).
A star-studded line-up of performers adorned the opening ceremony at BMO Field, Toronto, ahead of co-hosts Canada’s 1-1 draw with Bosnia & Herzegovina in their campaign opener.
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Celebrities like Ryan Reynolds, Mike Myers, Connor McDavid and Boi-1da watched Nora Fatehi perform the official anthem Siir Siir and Alanis Morissette performing O’ Canada in front of a packed crowd.
However, Trudeau was conspicuous by his absence in the high-profile event, citing ‘boyfriend duties’ as the reason, tweeting:
“Sometimes supportive boyfriend duties call. But you know who I’m rooting for to take the Cup.”
It’s pertinent to note that Trudeau was in attendance in the US leg of the opening ceremony in the Los Angeles metropolitan area to watch his girlfriend Katy Perry’s performance.
Apart from Perry, other high-profile performers included the likes of LISA, Future, Anitta, Rema and Tyla. Celebrity attendees included Tom Cruise, David Beckham, Paris Hilton, Bill Gates and Leonardo Di Caprio, to name a few.
On the field, unlike Canada, USA enjoyed a winning start to their FIFA World Cup campaign, dispatching Paraguay 4-1, their first victory in a World Cup opener in more than a decade.
Recap of Day 3 action at 2026 FIFA World Cup
Action at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, USA and Mexico continued on Day 3, with groups B and C got underway, with the first four-game day of the competition.
Scotland opened their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Haiti – returning to the World Cup fold for the first time since 1974. A deflected Scot McGinn effort in Boston gave the Scots their firsf World Cup victory in 36 years.
Meanwhile, 2022 hosts Qatar earned a historic maiden World Cup point following a 1-1 Group D draw with a wasteful Switzerland side, thanks to a 94th-minute equaliser in San Francisco.
In a later kick-off, five-time champions Brazil needed a moment of brilliance from Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior in East Rutherford to salvage a 1-1 draw with African champions Morocco, who had led through Ismael Saibari’s early opener.
Later in the day, Australia upset Turkiye 2-0 in Vancouver, with goals in either half, in Vancouver, to go second in Group D, while Scotland emerged as the surprise Group C leaders.
Edited by Bhargav
