Who is singing the national anthem ahead of Paraguay vs France? Who else is performing in 4th July celebrations?
Paraguay is back in the round of 16 for the fourth time ever and will be taking on powerhouse France on the same day the US celebrates its 250th birthday.
The entire nation of Paraguay was in party mode on Monday after they beat Germany to move on to the round of 16. Today, they won’t be the only ones celebrating in Philadelphia as they prepare for the biggest match in the country’s history.
FIFA to honor America
As you probably already know, it is the Fourth of July and it just so happens to land on the day that we kickoff the round of 16. The Paraguay vs. France match is the second of two games that is being played on this festive day for the co-host nation.
It´s the 250th anniversary of the the United States declaring their independence, and this Fourth of July will have a different flavor than the 249 previous. The World Cup has taken over the nation and the entire country seems to have soccer fever. There will be plenty of local Philly fans in attendance as French and Paraguayan fans cheer their team on in hopes for a trip to the quarters.
To commemorate the US for this special day, FIFA has organized a prematch ceremony to help ring in the 250th birthday of the USA. The football federation sent out a press release previewing what is to come from Philly. “Philadelphia Stadium pre-match highlights will include a US national-anthem performance by Tony Award winner Idina Menzel; a musical performance by The Roots, the multiple Grammy Award-winning hip-hop band founded in Philadelphia; and additional ceremonial elements featuring the Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale and Miss Pennsylvania, Stephanie Skinner.”
“Elsa” to sing anthem
Idina Menzel is an American actress, singer and songwriter and a Tony Award winner for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as Elphaba in the Broadway hit musical Wicked.
She also was the voice of Elsa in Disney’s Frozen franchise, and sang “Let it Go” which reached the fifth spot on the Billboard Hot 100. This won’t be the first time Menzel has belted out the national anthem on one of the biggest sports stages in the world. In 2015, she sang the “Star Spangled Banner” before the New England Patriots took on the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.
The French and Paraguayan national anthems will be played before the match as is the FIFA tradition. Players will come out for warmups 65 minutes before kickoff to allot time for the pregame Fourth of July celebrations from the city where it all started.
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