Toronto will host 2026 FIFA World Cup Opening Ceremony next year

The FIFA World Cup is coming to Toronto – and it seems like one heck of a party is on the way, too.

It's a tournament full of firsts: the first FIFA World Cup to take place in Canada, the first tournament to feature 48 teams, and the first to ever have three different countries hosting games.

And with the unique format, it was announced over the weekend during a broadcast briefing that there will be three opening ceremonies – one each in Toronto, Mexico City, and Los Angeles.

Toronto's opening ceremony will come on June 12, 2026, one day after the Mexico City ceremony and one day before the Los Angeles one.

The ceremony will coincide with Canada's first match against a yet-to-be-determined opponent, which will be announced on March 31 of next year after a four-team playoff.

Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina are all in the mix for the final World Cup spot in Group B, with only one of those four getting a chance to play in Canada's group.

After Canada's lone match in Toronto, they'll have the chance to play at least twice more on home soil, as they head to Vancouver for matches against Qatar and Switzerland. Those games will take place on June 18 and 24, respectively.

Who is performing at the FIFA World Cup Opening Ceremony in Toronto?

Details have yet to be announced, although we will warn you: it's not quite the same spectacle as an Opening Ceremony for the Olympics, for example. Think 30-45 minutes, not the three-plus hours often reserved for Olympic Ceremonies.

At the opening ceremony of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Korean singer Jungkook of the K-pop supergroup BTS was the lone musical act.

Canadian artists like Drake, Justin Bieber, Celine Dion, The Weeknd, or Shania Twain might all make sense as names to float out there for potential opening ceremony performers, but we'll have to wait and see whoever FIFA conjures up.