FIFA WORLD CUP 2026

Opening Ceremony - Toronto

Production Design by Ruby Law

As Production Designer for the Toronto Opening Ceremony of the FIFA World Cup 2026™, Ruby Law collaborated with Balich Wonder Studio to create a ceremony celebrating Canada's landscapes, communities, and cultures through the idea of a living mosaic.

The ceremony unfolded as a journey across the country, beginning with the heartbeat of First Nations drummers before a monumental golden sphere slowly opened to reveal its story. A humpback whale, a polar bear, and a moose travelled across the field, representing Canada's three coasts, while performers assembled the globe piece by piece. The celebration culminated in a giant golden maple leaf unfolding across the stadium beneath a sky of fireworks.

Bringing together large-scale scenic elements, giant puppets, field cloths, inflatables, choreography, and pyrotechnics, the production transformed the stadium into a living landscape. Performed by hundreds of cast members and featuring Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream, William Prince, and violinist Aleksandar Gajić, the opening ceremony celebrated the diversity and collective spirit of Canada on one of the world's largest sporting stages.

Created and Produced: Balich Wonder Studio | Creative Lead: Marco Balich | Creative Director: Carlos Navarrete-Patiño | Project Leader: Claudia Cattai | Project Director: Annalisa Barbieri | Executive Producer: Julian Hill | Head of Production: John McCullagh | Project Manager: Hannah Charlesworth | Staging Director: Luis Florencio | Production Designer: Ruby Law [RULA] | Choreography: Alexandre Francoeur | Music Composition: Polyphonia | Video Content Producer: Ahmed Abdel Al, NorthHouse | Creative Producer: Catherine Hayward

Photography Credit: Andrea Lorenzoni