The 2026 World Cup officially begins this Thursday (11), with the opening ceremony at the Azteca Stadium, in Mexico City. Before the game between Mexico and South Africa, the event will feature performances by Shakira and Burna Boy, responsible for the hit “Dai Dai”, the official song of the tournament.
Colombian Shakira participates in an official World Cup ceremony for the third time. Alongside Nigerian Burna Boy, she will perform live for the first time the song released in May, which has already accumulated tens of millions of streams and is quickly rising on music platforms.
In addition to the main duo, the Mexican stage will bring together names such as Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, Maná and Tyla. The show is scheduled to start at 2:30 pm (Brasília time), one hour before the ball drops.
Broadcast in Brazil
TV Globo, SBT, SporTV, N Sports, GeTV (via Globoplay) and CazéTV (YouTube) will broadcast the opening ceremony. CNN Sports follows everything in real time.
Ceremonies in other host countries
The following day, June 12, the openings continue in the other two organizing countries. In Toronto, Canada, Michael Bublé, Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream and William Prince perform, before Canada x Bosnia.
In Los Angeles, in the United States, the night will feature Katy Perry, Future, DJ Sanjoy, Anitta, Marilina Bogado and Lisa, from Blackpink, before the duel between the United States and Paraguay.
What changes in practice
The three ceremonies share a creative thread: the World Cup cup reinterpreted by the culture of each nation. In Mexico, the theme is Papel Picado, a traditional symbol of celebration and crafts. The idea is to connect the three host countries in a single narrative for the biggest World Cup in history, with 48 teams.
Rain could disrupt the event at Azteca, according to weather warnings, which worries the organization just a few days before the opening.