Tate McRae at the World Cup: Match Ball, Hitmaker Award & Olympics Ad Controversy — What We Actually Know

The Billboard Hitmaker Award: Confirmed

McRae's recognition as a Billboard Hitmaker is well-documented. She received the Hitmaker Award at Billboard Women in Music 2026 on April 29 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, presented by Victoria Monét . Billboard reported that McRae, reflecting on the honor, said from the stage: "The word 'hitmaker' makes it sound like you wake up every day knowing exactly what you’re doing. I can confirm I do not. Most of the time, I’m in a room overthinking a song for eight hours" . She was honored as part of a major year for the rising Canadian pop star, following her first No. 1 album in the U.S. and Canada, So Close to What .

The Winter Olympics Ad Controversy: Confirmed

In early February 2026, Tate McRae faced significant backlash from Canadian fans after appearing in an NBC promotional ad for Team USA ahead of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics . The BBC reported that some Canadians called her a "traitor" and expressed disappointment at a Canadian star promoting the U.S. team . CBC reported that the video sparked a wave of reactions on Instagram, where it garnered over 14 million views . McRae responded to the criticism on social media, posting on her Instagram Stories: "Y'all know I'm Canada down" alongside a childhood photo of herself with the Canadian flag .

"Hands Up Higher" as an Official Anthem: Unconfirmed

A YouTube video titled "Tate McRae – Hands Up Higher | FIFA World Cup Song" exists, but it is labeled as a fan-made or inspired track and is not confirmed as an official FIFA tournament anthem . No authoritative FIFA, Billboard, or major news source in the search results identifies "Hands Up Higher" as an official FIFA World Cup 2026 anthem. Official FIFA 2026 anthems are being released through the FIFA Sound program and likely feature Shakira and Burna Boy ("Dai Dai"), among other artists, according to available information .

Celebrity Crowd: Not Confirmed

The specific names mentioned — Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Liam Gallagher, and Brad Pitt — do not appear in any of the search results as confirmed attendees of this match. No report or listing of the celebrity crowd at Spain vs. Belgium on July 10 was found in the current evidence.

Match Result: Not Yet Reported

The quarterfinal was scheduled for July 10, 2026 at SoFi Stadium . But no final score or match result appears in the sources returned. The schedule shows the match as upcoming or in progress in the latest sources .

Ticket Prices: Confirmed Above $1,000

Entry-level and resale tickets were indeed above $1,000. VividSeats listed the cheapest tickets starting at $1,138 , while USA Today reported the cheapest available tickets starting at $2,415 as of July 6 .

Summary of Verified vs. Unverified Claims

The confirmed facts are that Tate McRae — fresh off her Billboard Hitmaker Award but still carrying the residue of her Winter Olympics ad controversy — was on hand to deliver the match ball at SoFi Stadium, where the cheapest seats ran over $1,000. However, the specific details of the ball delivery, the presence of the named celebrities, the match result, and the official status of "Hands Up Higher" are not supported by the evidence currently available. A post-game news report would be needed to close these gaps.