The 2026 World Cup is here and the opening ceremony was as grand and colourful as you would expect.
Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, the grandfather of World Cup venues, hosting its third tournament, staged the first of three opening ceremonies on Thursday, kicking off 90 minutes before Mexico’s Group A opener against South Africa.
The other two follow on Friday in Toronto and Los Angeles, but this was always going to be the main event.
The ceremony began with a celebration of Mexican culture and indigenous heritage, with Aztec imagery taking centre stage around a giant golden World Cup trophy.
Lila Downs welcomed the world in Spanish and English, declaring simply: “People of the world, welcome to Mexico.”
Legendary Mexican rock band Mana kicked off the musical performances, before Venezuelan singer-songwriter Danny Ocean took his turn, warming up a crowd that was already roaring.
Colombian reggaeton star J Balvin then took the stage alongside Ryan Castro, performing a medley including his 2018 hit before the pair united on their 2026 duet “Una A La Vez.”
Then came the headliner. Shakira arrived to seismic noise inside the stadium, performing alongside Nigerian Afrobeats star Burna Boy, she debuted “Dai Dai” – the official song of the 2026 World Cup – live for the first time.
The song, whose title is an Italian phrase meaning “let’s go” or “come on,” closed out the ceremony with both artists surrounded by dancers in front of that enormous golden trophy.
Mexican superstar Alejandro Fernandez sang the Mexican national anthem, while South African Grammy Award-winner Tyla performed the anthem of the visiting Bafana Bafana.
Hollywood star and World Cup ambassador Salma Hayek Pinault also took to the pitch, lending some extra glamour to proceedings and drawing a huge cheer from the home crowd.
All told, it was colourful, loud, culturally rich and exactly what a World Cup opener should feel like.
