Trio of star-studded World Cup opening ceremonies in US, Canada and Mexico aim to showcase unity

MILAN (AP) — The World Cup will feature an unprecedented trio of star-studded opening ceremonies in the host nations, the United States, Canada and Mexico, created by the Italian producer behind the opening ceremony for this year's Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Marco Balich, fresh off the Olympics opening ceremony, which included a parade of athletes spread across four venues, said he was up to the challenge of producing three shows in three cities, with teams numbering 260 to 300 people in each city.

The ceremonies' unifying theme will be “the celebration of sports, the passion for soccer, symbolized by the cup itself,” Balich said. “The idea is to narrate with three points of view and languages,” using design aesthetics representative of each culture.

In Canada, a mosaic will represent its multicultural identity. Mexico's motif will be the traditional paper cutouts called papel picado, while the United States will have “a super shiny, glowing cup,” said Balich, who also produced the opening ceremony for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Balich called it a “very good sign” that Canada, Mexico and the U.S. were working together to host “a peaceful World Cup.”

"I think it’s very important that we stress the fact that the three nations are working together to host a very important and relevant championship, especially in this moment where there is so much controversy on the political side,’’ said Balich, founder of Balich Wonder Studios. “But the people are people, and they will get together and enjoy.”

Each ceremony will feature top artistic performances that tap into the national identity, but Balich said spectators shouldn’t expect a Super Bowl-style halftime extravaganza. Instead, the ceremonies will combine welcoming speeches, a parade of flags, the presentation of the match ball and about 30 minutes of musical entertainment.

“It's a celebration of football, FIFA and the fact that, thanks to soccer, people get together in peace and harmony," Balich said.

Each ceremony will be held about 90 minutes before game time, following a 25-minute player warm-up that organizers hope will prompt spectators to arrive early.

While the Super Bowl celebrates “a game that is only famous in the U.S., the rest of the world plays soccer, and has a passion that is shared,’’ Balich said.

The festivities launch on June 11 in Mexico City, ahead of the Mexico City-South Africa match, with a show featuring Latin rock band Maná, Colombian singer J Balvin and South African pop star Tyla.

They continue June 12 in Toronto ahead of the Canada-Bosnia and Herzegovina game, with Alanis Morissette and Michael Bublé headlining, before heading to Los Angeles Stadium later that day for the U.S.-Paraguay opener.

International stars will take the stage at Los Angeles Stadium, including Katy Perry, global pop star LISA, Nigerian Afrobeats star Rema, Brazilian pop artist Anitta, and hip-hop artist Future.

The Italian producer is enjoying the distinction of producing the two biggest sports ceremonies in the world this year — the 2026 Winter Games opening ceremony and 2026 World Cup — even as Italy sits out its third straight World Cup.

“It is very encouraging, actually, to compensate the sad news that Italy is not there this time,” Balich said, adding that Italy's absence “which is a disaster for us, has also enabled us to be very impartial” in celebrating each country “in a similar way.”

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

FIFA World Cup 2026 signage is displayed at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

FILE - Creative Director and Executive Producer Marco Balich speaks with director of ceremonies Maria Laura Iascone as volunteer dancers perform during rehearsals for the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, at a compound in a big tent next to San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)

FILE - Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation Ceremony director Maria Laura Iascone, right, and Creative Director Marco Balich attend the Organising Committee's press conference unveiling the concept for the opening ceremony of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, at San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)

DIBBINE, Lebanon (AP) — Israel’s air force struck different parts of southern Lebanon on Friday as the military issued evacuation warnings for nine villages, including one that has been spared much of the destruction and was sheltering thousands of people displaced by the three-month war.

Six people were killed, Lebanon's state news agency reported. The warnings forced hundreds of families to flee the village of Anqoun and the area of Aarnaya, on the edge of the predominantly Christian village of Maghdoucheh, near the southern port city of Sidon.

The strikes came a day after the Hezbollah militant group rejected the latest ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Lebanese government, and demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.

The war in Lebanon, where Israeli forces have seized large swaths of the south since March 2, threatens efforts to end the Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has demanded that any lasting truce extend to Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces elections later this year, wants to press ahead with Israel’s offensive until Hezbollah no longer poses a threat.

Nearly three hours after the evacuation warnings were issued by the Israeli military’s Arabic spokesperson, Israeli warplanes struck the villages, including Anqoun. About 2,500 people displaced by the fighting were sheltering in Anqoun, the Lebanese news agency NNA reported.

On Friday, U.N. peacekeepers and Lebanese troops were seen at an entrance of the village of Dibbine, near the town of Marjayoun, after Israeli forces withdrew following intense clashes with Hezbollah fighters.

The ceasefire agreement calls for Lebanon’s armed forces to take control of security zones in Lebanon from which the militants would be banned.

It was the first time Israeli troops pulled out from an area in southern Lebanon since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war began three months ago. At the entrance of the village, dozens of homes were seen destroyed as a result of the clashes and airstrikes. A bulldozer for the peacekeeping force was opening the main road leading to Dibbine.

Israeli troops have seized around a fifth of Lebanon, pushing further into the country’s south than at any time since the end of Israel’s 1982-2000 occupation. The latest declared ceasefire came about through U.S.-brokered talks between Israel and Lebanon’s government, which accuses Hezbollah of dragging the country into war and had made efforts to disarm it before the latest hostilities.

On Thursday night, an airstrike in the southern city of Tyre killed three and wounded seven people, including three children and two women, the Health Ministry said.

More than 3,500 people have been killed in Lebanon since the war began. The fighting has killed at least 29 Israeli soldiers and three civilians.

Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report.

People swim on a public beach as smoke, background, rises from an Israeli airstrike that hit the Qlaileh village, seen from the southern port city of Tyre, Lebanon, Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

An Israeli flag hangs on a destroyed building in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel, Thursday June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)