Justin Trudeau has responded after drawing criticism for missing Canada’s World Cup opener in Toronto to attend Katy Perry’s performance at the tournament’s U.S. opening ceremony in Los Angeles.
The former Canadian prime minister was in Los Angeles on Friday for the U.S. side of FIFA’s opening festivities at SoFi Stadium, rather than being in Toronto for Canada’s first match of the 2026 World Cup against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Perry was among the headline acts at the Los Angeles event, which also featured performances by Tyla, Future, Lisa and other international artists ahead of the United States’ match with Paraguay.
Canada’s own opening ceremony took place in Toronto, where Michael Bublé, Alanis Morissette and other Canadian artists were part of the pre-match program before the national team’s long-awaited World Cup return.
“Wonder”
After the backlash gathered pace online, Trudeau addressed it on X on Sunday.
“Sometimes supportive boyfriend duties call,” he wrote, adding a Canadian flag emoji. “But you know who I’m rooting for to take the Cup.”
The response came after fans questioned why Trudeau chose to attend the U.S. event with Perry instead of supporting Canada on one of its biggest football nights in decades.
Canada’s men had not appeared at a World Cup since 1986, making the Toronto opener a major moment for supporters and for the country’s sporting history.
Trudeau and Perry were first linked publicly in July 2025, before confirming their relationship later that year. Their appearance around the World Cup was one of the couple’s most visible public outings since then.
Since confirming the relationship, the pair have largely kept a low profile, which helped fuel attention when Trudeau turned up in Los Angeles.
Trudeau was previously married to broadcaster Sophie Grégoire Trudeau. They separated in 2023 after 18 years of marriage and share three children.
He stepped down as Liberal Party leader in January 2025 after nine years as Canada’s prime minister. Perry, meanwhile, announced her split from Orlando Bloom last July. The former couple share a daughter, Daisy Dove.