Trudeau slammed – Justin Trudeau faced fresh backlash after admitting he missed Canada’s World Cup home opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina to attend a Katy Perry performance at the USMNT opener at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
By the time Canada kicked off at a home World Cup opener for the first time in its history, Justin Trudeau was already under fresh scrutiny. The former prime minister, who served as Canadian PM from 2015 to 2025, was nowhere to be found for Canada’s 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Trudeau later explained—directly in a social media post—why he missed the match. He said he was still “a Canadian through and through,” but that he wanted to support his new beau. “Sometimes supportive boyfriend duties call. But you know who I’m rooting for to take the Cup,” Trudeau wrote.
Within minutes. the decision became a magnet for mockery on X. with critics blending football politics. pop culture. and hypocrisy accusations into one fast-moving backlash. One user wrote that Trudeau had previously told people to boycott the US because of “the big bad orange man. ” only to be “hanging at Coachella. ” using “plastic products your party banned. ” “shopping in NYC with your untalented son. ” and now “cheering US soccer.” Another called him “still insufferable.”.
Trudeau also drew fire for referring to multiplatinum pop star Katy Perry as his “girlfriend,” with one reaction on social media branding the wording “disgusting” and chiding him for being at “this age” with “big kids bro.”
On the night of the USMNT opener. more than 70. 000 fans filled SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles expecting a high-energy show from Perry. Instead. the pop superstar performed just one song during her featured moment: “Wonder. ” an album track described as from two years ago. Rather than blasting out the hits many associate with her—“I Kissed A Girl” and “Firework”—fans were left wanting more.
Perry’s set itself became a point of contention. She performed one song about ten minutes before the game and then quickly left the stage. The performance included support from ten-year-old Tius Luka, who drew praise for his “incredible vocals” from viewers at home. Luka—described as a Norwegian boy whose recent rise has been driven by viral covers of classic songs—was expected by many to be the real standout of the show.
Even before Perry took the stage, the event’s pacing had already caused early friction. Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema, and Tyla performed earlier as part of the pregame, which began roughly 90 minutes before the match. That first set ended. the stage was dismantled. and social media erupted with concern that Perry had pulled out at late notice.
But she did take the stage again after the players warmed up, finally performing around ten minutes before the scheduled kickoff time.
The scrutiny around Trudeau and Perry’s romance has been intensifying for months. Perry posted a photo of herself with Trudeau after the performance. and their relationship has played out publicly since they were first linked back in July 2025 after being spotted walking together in a park in Montreal. The couple later went from visibility to spectacle: they were spotted embracing on Perry’s yacht in Santa Barbara in early October. and they officially confirmed their relationship in December by sharing photos together during Trudeau’s visit to Japan—sparking one fan’s comment calling it the “craziest hard launch in the history of the free world.”.
While Trudeau’s absence shaped the conversation in Canada, the US team’s own opening results offered a stark contrast on the same tournament night. The USA went on to success in their opening match, thrashing Paraguay 4-1.
Canada, however, came away drawing Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-1 in a match that—on home soil and in a milestone first—ended up shadowed by the fallout from Trudeau’s choice to watch a girlfriend sing instead of being in the stands for his country.
Justin Trudeau Canada World Cup Bosnia and Herzegovina Katy Perry USMNT SoFi Stadium Tius Luka X backlash Justin Trudeau excuse
So he skipped the World Cup to see Katy Perry? Priorities are wild.
I mean the man is a “Canadian through and through” but he’s cheering the USMNT and dating politics now? Seems like hypocrisy to me. Also calling Katy Perry his girlfriend is just… weird.
Wait, didn’t Trudeau tell Canadians to boycott stuff in the US or something? Now he’s off at Coachella vibes watching pop stuff at the opener. Like I don’t even follow football that hard but this sounds like the same pattern over and over.
Katy Perry only sang one song?? That’s kinda disappointing ngl. But also, I don’t get why everyone’s acting like he singlehandedly ruined the match. 1-1 draw is still a draw. Everybody’s focused on who he’s dating and not the actual soccer like it’s not supposed to be about the game… unless it is, idk.