Sports fans in the United States have become used to artists, some bigger than others, performing the American national anthem at major sporting events, from the NBA Finals and the World Series to the Super Bowl. The 2026 World Cup, however, isn’t following that formula.

A star-studded start in Los Angeles

Ahead of the USMNT’s opening World Cup game against Paraguay in Los Angeles, stars including Katy Perry, Lisa and Future headlined the third of the tournament’s three opening ceremonies before country music duo Dan + Shay performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” before kickoff.

The three-time Grammy winners were joined at SoFi Stadium by Paraguayan group Purahéi Soul, which performed the pregame anthem for the USMNT’s South American opponents.

Back to World Cup tradition in Seattle

Before the second group-stage game against Australia in Seattle, however, no performers were booked to sing either national anthem. That is the standard format for most World Cup matches and international games in general. Exceptions were made only for the opening matches involving the tournament’s three host nations: the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Instead, a band played both national anthems, with fans at Lumen Field invited to sing along.

USMNT chasing early qualification

Mauricio Pochettino’s men opened their World Cup campaign with a thumping 4-1 victory over Paraguay and now have the opportunity to seal a place in the round of 32 with a game to spare. Fellow co-hosts Mexico have already qualified, while Canada are on the brink of progressing after taking four points from their first two matches.

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