William Prince, singer-songwriter from the Peguis First Nation, will perform in Toronto next month at the invited artist concerts at the opening ceremony of the Canadian leg of the Soccer World Cup.
“It is a great joy and an honor to represent my community of origin, the Peguis First Nation, as well as Canada on the world’s most prestigious stage, that of the FIFA World Cup,” wrote William Prince in a social media post on Saturday. He described stepping on stage at this global event as “surreal.”
The folk-country star also confirmed the news to CBC Manitoba on Saturday.
The event on June 12 will also feature Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Jessie Reyez, and Michael Bublé.
Opening ceremonies will take place in Mexico, Canada, and the United States, the host countries of the competition, to mark the beginning of the competition in each nation.
The competition will officially begin on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico, with the Mexico-South Africa match.
Los Angeles will host the first match for the United States on June 12, 2026.
The Toronto opening ceremony will include performances by Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream, and William Prince, according to the FIFA website.
The Mexico ceremony will feature Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, Maná, and Tyla.
In Los Angeles, the audience will see Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema, and Tyla on stage.
With information from Matt Humphrey
