France and Paraguay square off in a Round of 16 match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on July 4, with a place in the quarterfinals on the line.
Paraguay has been one of the tournament's biggest surprise teams. Gustavo Alfaro's side advanced from Group D before pulling off a penalty shootout victory over Germany in the Round of 32, booking a clash with one of the tournament favorites.
France, meanwhile, has looked every bit like a title contender that fans expected them to be. Didier Deschamps' team cruised through the group stage before comfortably defeating Sweden 3-0 in the Round of 32, setting up a clash with the South Americans.
Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Ahead of kickoff at Philadelphia Stadium, FIFA has organized a special Fourth of July ceremony celebrating the United States' 250th Independence Day anniversary.
Who is the National Anthem Singer for Paraguay vs. France?
Tony Award-winning actress and singer Idina Menzel will perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" as part of the pre-match Fourth of July festivities before France and Paraguay take the field.
Best known for her Tony Award-winning performance as Elphaba in Wicked and for voicing Elsa in Disney's Frozen, Menzel sang the Academy Award-winning hit "Let It Go," which became one of the biggest songs from the franchise.
The pre-match celebration will also feature a performance by The Roots, along with appearances by the Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale and Miss Pennsylvania Stephanie Skinner before the French and Paraguayan national anthems are played in accordance with FIFA tradition.
Menzel earlier shared her excitement on social media ahead of the match, writing: "Honored to be asked to sing the US National Anthem tomorrow, July 4, at the FIFA WorldCup match in Philadelphia as part of the pre-game celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.”
