Mexico launches FIFA World Cup 2026 with Shakira performance
FIFA World Cup 2026 opened in Mexico with a colourful ceremony at Estadio Azteca, featuring Shakira and Burna Boy before Mexico beat South Africa 2-0.
- Mexico launched the FIFA World Cup 2026 with an opening ceremony at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
- The ceremony featured a headline performance by Colombian superstar Shakira.
- Shakira, alongside Nigerian artist Burna Boy, performed "Dai Dai," the official anthem for the 2026 tournament.
- The event also showcased Mexican culture and included performances from other artists like J Balvin and Maná.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 officially opened in spectacular fashion at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, with Mexico, one of the co-hosts, staging a colourful ceremony that blended music, light, culture and national identity before the tournament’s first match.
The opening show highlighted Mexico’s rich cultural heritage, with vivid performances, striking visuals and traditional artistic elements, including papel picado, the decorative paper-cutting style closely associated with Mexican celebrations.
One of the biggest moments of the ceremony came with the appearance of Shakira, the Colombian superstar whose 2010 World Cup anthem “Waka Waka” became one of the tournament’s most recognisable songs.
This time, Shakira returned to the World Cup stage alongside Nigerian Afrobeats star Burna Boy for “Dai Dai”, the official anthem of FIFA World Cup 2026. Their performance drew huge cheers from the crowd and set the tone for the month-long football festival.
Other international and Mexican artists, including J Balvin, Maná and Alejandro Fernández, also joined the celebrations, adding to the high-energy atmosphere inside the historic stadium.
Biggest World Cup in history
The 2026 tournament marks a major expansion for world football, with the competition growing from 32 to 48 teams and from 64 to 104 matches.
The United States, Mexico and Canada are jointly hosting the tournament, which runs from June 11 until the final on July 19, 2026. It is the first World Cup to be staged across three host nations.
Estadio Azteca also entered the record books as the first stadium to host matches at three World Cups, following its role in the 1970 and 1986 tournaments.
Mexico starts Group A with victory
After the opening ceremony, attention turned to the first Group A match between Mexico and South Africa.
Backed by a roaring home crowd, Mexico made a strong start to their campaign with a 2-0 victory, securing the first three points of the expanded 48-team tournament.
The result gave the co-hosts an early lead in Group A and provided the perfect sporting finish to a landmark opening night in Mexico City.
