Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has found himself at the centre of a political and patriotic firestorm after he chose to attend the USA vs. Paraguay World Cup match in Los Angeles on Saturday—sitting alongside his pop star girlfriend, Katy Perry—while Canada’s national team played a historic home opener thousands of kilometres away.
Trudeau, 54, who stepped down as prime minister last year after nearly a decade in power, was spotted in a luxury suite at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, where Perry, 41, performed her 2024 hit “Wonder” as part of the pre-match ceremonies. The couple, who began dating quietly in the summer of 2025 and have since become one of North America’s most watched celebrity pairs, were seen embracing after the performance. The match drew a crowd of over 70,000, including Hollywood A-listers Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio, and ended in a 4-1 victory for the United States.
Meanwhile, less than 24 hours earlier and some 4,000 kilometres away, Canada’s men’s national team played their first-ever World Cup match on home soil at Toronto Stadium. In front of a sold-out crowd of 43,000 passionate fans, Canada secured a hard-fought 1-1 draw against a European opponent—thanks to a 78th-minute goal by Cyle Larin—earning the country’s very first point in World Cup history. The result was celebrated as a landmark achievement for Canadian soccer.
But any sense of national pride was quickly overshadowed by images of Trudeau cheering from a VIP box in Los Angeles, wearing a casual blazer and no visible Canadian colours. Social media erupted within hours, with critics calling him a “clown” and “the most hated man in Canada” for what many perceived as a stunning lapse in judgment.
“A whole former leader of the country, and he can’t show up for Canada’s biggest football match in a generation?” tweeted one Toronto-based sports commentator. “He’s at a US game with his American girlfriend. Forget optics, chale—something must kill a man.”
The Ghanaian pidgin expression “something must kill a man,” often used to express incredulity at reckless or shameful behaviour, quickly began trending among Canadian soccer fans of West African descent and beyond.
Trudeau’s defenders note that he is no longer in office and is entitled to a private life. They point out that he was prime minister when Canada was named a co-host of the 2026 World Cup, and that he has attended multiple Canadian matches in the past. However, his office declined to comment on why he skipped the Toronto game.
The relationship between Trudeau and Perry has been a tabloid fixture since they went public in Paris in 2025. Perry, who was previously engaged to actor Orlando Bloom, has called Trudeau “the love of my life,” and a source close to the couple says she has introduced her young daughter to Trudeau’s three children. But for many Canadians on Saturday, that love story came at the expense of national pride.
“He can date whoever he wants,” said one fan outside Toronto Stadium after the match. “But on the day Canada makes history at home? You show up. You don’t go watch Team USA with your pop star girlfriend. Something really must kill a man.”
As of Sunday morning, neither Trudeau nor Perry has publicly addressed the controversy. But the images from Los Angeles—and the empty seat in Toronto—will likely linger long after the final whistle.
