The curtain comes up on co-hosts Canada’s World Cup 2026 campaign as Michael Buble and Alanis Morissette headline a star-studded opening ceremony in Toronto.
The tournament is officially up and running with wins for Mexico and South Korea on the first day of action – but empty seats in Guadalajara will have been a concern for organisers. There should be no such issues at Toronto Stadium as Jesse Marsch’s men prepare to get underway, particularly with a couple of Canadian icons performing beforehand.
An intriguing Group B also includes Qatar and Switzerland, with hopes high that Canada can progress to the knockout rounds at least. They face a tough opening test against an experienced Bosnia spearheaded once again by veteran striker Edin Dzeko – now 40, the former Manchester City forward is nearing 150 caps for his country. Can he spoil the party and get his nation off to a winning start?
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Alphonso Davies absent
One Canadian star not in action today is Alphonso Davies, with the Bayern Munich defender losing his race to be fit for the tournament opener. Manager Jesse Marsch hopes to be able to call upon the versatile Davies at some point in the group stage, but a hamstring injury sidelines him for now.
World Cup 2026: Canada’s opening ceremony
Canada will now take the spotlight for their opening ceremony in Toronto, kicking off at 6:30pm BST on Friday 12 June at BMO Field ahead of the host nation’s clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina. That one will be live on the BBC.
Leading the line-up is none other than Canadian icon Michael Buble, with the likes of Alessia Cara and Alanis Morissette among the other featured performers.
Palestinian singer Elyanna will also perform while French artist Vegedream, who is best known for his the timeless anthem “Ramenez la coupe a la maison” which celebrated France’s World Cup win in 2018.
Jessie Reyez, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy and William Prince are also on the bill.
A bit of Buble?
Yes, matters on the pitch will be of interest later but the opening ceremonies will draw plenty of eyes today, too. Here’s a reminder of what is on deck, with a couple of Canadian superstars set to take the Toronto stage.
World Cup 2026 LIVE
Hello hello. It’s another big and busy day as the World Cup kicks into gear with our remaining co-hosts readying themselves for action. Mexico started the party in style yesterday – complete with cards and everything – and now it is the turn of Canada and the United States to kickstart their tournaments.
We begin in Toronto, where there are plenty of stars on show. Michael Buble! Alanis Morissette! Edin Dzeko! The curtain comes up on Canada’s campaign at 8pm BST/3pm ET as they face Bosnia and Herzegovina, but there will be plenty of fun and festivities before then.
