Katy Perry performed during Friday’s opening ceremony in Los Angeles, but the US version of the tournament’s launch event focused on one of its main themes: aspirational consumerism. The 2026 World Cup is a festival of football, but also a celebration of America and a chance for Fox Sports to prove the haters wrong. The opening ceremony, however, felt oddly flat, as if FIFA had absorbed all the pre-tournament criticism and decided not to bother.
A Ceremony Built for TV
Fox Sports is not simply the host broadcaster for this World Cup; it is the tournament’s very soul. Between the bloated 48-team format, the number of co-hosts, and the vast distances separating host cities, sprawl is the theme, and Fox is doing its bit. The ceremony had only three songs spread over an hour, but Fox padded the opening day into a bullying statement of intent. Rebecca Lowe, known for NBC’s Premier League coverage, was brought in to add class, but even she struggled to keep Fox from its worst instincts.
The production felt scattered, rushed, and unfocused, like a series of TikTok zaps. Segments included a profile of USMNT super fan Eagleman, a doctor and former air force officer, and a leaden bit with Patrick Mahomes about the soccer vs. football debate. A look back at the 1994 tournament began with nostalgic notes about gas prices and milk, a blow against the oat milk wokes. Fox even promoted James Corden’s late-night show repeatedly, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic declaring him funny in increasingly unconvincing terms.
Ads Everywhere
Commercials are everywhere this World Cup, including during hydration breaks. Friday’s innovation made it hard to tell where ads stopped and the match began. Segments on refurbishing fussball tables and playing Cristiano Ronaldo up front melted into ads for semaglutides, SUVs, and medication for ulcerative colitis. Everything is designed to be an ad, from Matthew McConaughey voiceovers to the Michelob Ultra Pitchside Club.
The ceremony proper featured Future and Tyla performing “Game Time” with more than an hour until kick-off, and signs for Route 66 and Las Vegas that looked like elementary school props. The only highlight was Lisa, Anitta, and Rema’s performance of “Goals,” with lyrics about aspirational consumerism. Fox cut back to the studio as Alexi Lalas exclaimed about his vibrating nether regions, much to Thierry Henry’s disgust.
Ultimately, the World Cup opening ceremony was a series of moments, but little substance. Katy Perry’s performance of “Wonder” was distant and muffled on TV, yet Lowe called it a moment. The early evidence suggests that Fox’s coverage will be defined by ads, consumerism, and Lalas’s updates on his junk.
