#1 — The closing: Katy Perry and the 10-year-old girl
Here's the most unforgettable moment of the three nights. To close the trilogy in Los Angeles, Katy Perry sang "Wonder," from her 2024 album, but not alone — she shared the stage with Tius Luka, a Norwegian singer just 10 years old.
Dressed in a silver Stella McCartney gown, Katy lifted the girl into an embrace to end the show. It was the kind of moment that sums up the spirit of the opening: not just celebrity and spectacle, but the passing of the torch to the next generation — a global star giving the stage to a child in front of the whole world.
Put it all together — three unprecedented ceremonies, Shakira in Mexico, tears in Canada, the pop of Los Angeles, Bocelli, Anitta, LISA making history, and Katy Perry closing with a 10-year-old girl — and the 2026 World Cup openings were a spectacle worthy of the biggest tournament on the planet. For the first time, there were three stages, three cultures, and dozens of stars. And the ball, of course, hadn't even rolled yet.
