The opening ceremony of the 2026 World Cup began with music, Mexican culture and a giant cup raised in the center of the Azteca Stadium lawn in Mexico City. Shakira and Burna Boy closed the performance with the hit “Dai dai”, the official song of the tournament, before the opening game between Mexico and South Africa.
The party lasted around 15 minutes and brought together nine artists on stage. In addition to the Colombian and the Nigerian, Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, Maná and Tyla went up. Mexican Lila Downs opened the attractions with performances that mixed local rhythms, dances and cultural elements from the country.
The Azteca lived through a historic moment. The stadium hosted the opening ceremony for the third time, after 1970 and 1986, reinforcing its place as one of the most important stages in World Cup history. The giant cup in the middle of the field symbolized the kickoff of the biggest World Cup ever held, with 48 teams and 104 games in total.
“Dai dai” was the big highlight. The track, released weeks before, mixes reggaeton, afrobeats and pop. Part of the clip was recorded at Maracanã, in Rio, during Shakira’s show in Copacabana. The official video has already accumulated tens of millions of views and tops the charts in several countries. Shakira is now participating in her third official World Cup ceremony.
For the first time, the World Cup has three host countries. Following the event in Mexico, separate celebrations are scheduled for the following days in Toronto, Canada, and Los Angeles, in the United States, marking the debuts of the host teams. The tournament runs until July 19th.
The quick show allowed the pitch to be released in time for the teams to warm up. Mexico and South Africa entered the field soon after, starting the group stage of the competition that promises to mobilize millions of fans in the three countries.
