Tom Cruise and David Beckham help turn U.S. World Cup opener into spectacle

The United States opened its 2026 World Cup campaign in front of a crowd that looked as much like a Hollywood premiere as a soccer match. At SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, Tom Cruise and David Beckham watched from the stands as Katy Perry, Future, Tyla, LISA, Anitta and Remi performed, and Dan + Shay sang the U.S. national anthem. The result on the field matched the spectacle off it, with the Americans posting a wide victory over Paraguay in their debut.

The scene underscored how sharply the tournament has been recast as a mainstream American event. The World Cup returned to the United States for the first time since 1994 as the principal host, this time alongside Mexico and Canada, and the opening in Los Angeles carried a distinctly Hollywood stamp. The mix of pop acts, anthem performance and celebrity arrivals made the match feel less like a niche soccer occasion and more like a national cultural moment built for the largest possible audience.

Beckham’s presence carried particular weight. He had been honored that same morning with the 2,849th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at a ceremony on Hollywood Boulevard that included Victoria Beckham and Tom Cruise. The timing linked one of soccer’s most recognizable figures with the entertainment industry’s most visible stage, reinforcing Beckham’s long role in expanding the game’s profile in the United States.

That symbolism goes beyond celebrity optics. Beckham joined Major League Soccer in 2007 and helped lift the league’s international standing, while also becoming the first English player to win league titles in four countries. His appearance in Los Angeles, alongside Cruise and other high-profile names, reflected how the World Cup now sits at the intersection of sport, entertainment and American identity.

The opening night atmosphere suggested FIFA understands that shift. With a ceremony-like presentation, a star-heavy audience and a U.S. win to anchor the evening, the tournament began not just as a competition, but as a mass-market event designed to command attention well beyond the soccer crowd.