Who sang US national anthem at World Cup? 'The Star-Spangled Banner' performers
Jordan MendozaEditor's note: Follow along for Team USA's World Cup opening game vs. Paraguay!
It was a one-of-a-kind performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner” at the 2026 World Cup.
The U.S. men’s national team began its World Cup campaign on American soil, facing Paraguay in its opening match at SoFi Stadium.
To mark the opening game in the host nation — the first World Cup game in the U.S. since 1994 — there was an opening ceremony, which marked a much more grand pre-game occasion than usual.
Part of that was the a live performance of the U.S. national anthem instead of the instrumental version typically played before matches. Before the ball kicked off, the musical duo of Dan + Shay sung "The Star-Spangled Banner" for the U.S. Dan + Shay — Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney — are a popular country music pair that have won three Grammy Awards.
Get Dan + Shay tour ticketsThey weren't the only musical act performing, either, as Paraguayan duo Purahei Soul sung the Paraguay national anthem.
The anthem singers are part of a multitude of events that happened in the lead-up to the match. FIFA World Cup Ambassador Jason Sudeikis was on hand to welcome fans and "celebrate the unifying power of football on the world’s biggest stage," FIFA said.
Other artists that appeared during the opening ceremony were Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema and Tyla.
The U.S. vs. Paraguay game kicked off at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
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