Hollywood Stars Attend 2026 World Cup Opener in Inglewood

Tom Cruise, Paris Hilton, Jamie Foxx, Owen Wilson. Then George Lucas (with consort Mellody Hobson), Brad Pitt and Sofia Vergara: for one evening Hollywood moved to Inglewood, south of the Los Angeles metropolis, where SoFi Stadium is hosting the debut of the United States at the 2026 World Cup against Paraguay. Some of the most famous names in show business, music and sports have arrived to watch the match.

The hero of Mission Impossible, in an eggplant-colored suit, arrived with his friend David Beckham, who just hours earlier received the most enduring of local honors: a star on the Walk of Fame. This is also a sign of how city institutions are trying to grow the fever for soccer, certainly not the favorite sport of Californians.

Yet, the stands of the gigantic arena built a stone's throw from the airport were almost completely full in the end, even though not all 70,000 tickets were sold. And the front rows of the show provided a worthy counterpoint to the parterre that accompanies the Knicks' games in New York.

Also spotted in the stands were actors Halle Berry and Rob Lowe, while Paris Hilton attracted attention on the blue carpet with a red and white striped top. Photographers also immortalized Jamie Foxx next to Vince Vaughn.

Also present were singer and actress Teyana Taylor (Una battaglia dopo l'altra) and Shaboozey, author of the hit 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)', Jaafar Jackson (fresh from the box office success of the biopic about his uncle Michael) and Microsoft creator Bill Gates.

A brief opening ceremony preceded the national anthems and the kick-off. About twenty minutes that tried to imitate the splendor of the Super Bowl halftime shows, with small fireworks on the sidelines, a marching band and dancers on the field, closely followed by cameras. Around a large inflatable World Cup, US rapper Future, South African singer Tyla, Brazilian Anitta and Lisa of Blackpink, one of the most popular K-pop groups in the world, performed. After the teams' warm-ups, Katy Perry concluded an opening show that was certainly subdued in tone compared to the one seen in Mexico City. Jason Sudeikis, the Ted Lasso of the beloved Apple Tv series, took the stage set up in the center of the field for a brief speech. Perry then sat in the stands with her partner, former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.