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Five weeks of competition in three countries (Mexico, the United States, and Canada) and 48 participating teams: the kickoff of the World Cup took place on Thursday during an opening ceremony at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, where singer Shakira thrilled the 80.
Five weeks of competition across three countries (Mexico, the United States, and Canada) and 48 participating teams: the kickoff of the Football World Cup was given on Thursday during an opening ceremony at Mexico’s Azteca Stadium, where singer Shakira thrilled the 80,000 spectators.
The roughly twenty-minute show came before the first of the tournament’s 104 matches between Mexico and South Africa (scheduled for 1:00 PM local time, 9:00 PM in Paris), a remake of the opening match of the 2010 World Cup.
Just like 16 years ago in South Africa, Shakira was the star of this ceremony. After performing the 2010 World Cup anthem Waka Waka (This Time for Africa), which became a global hit, the Colombian artist, wearing sunglasses, a yellow leotard, and a purple skirt, appeared on stage to sing “Dai Dai,” one of the songs created for the 2026 World Cup, alongside Nigerian star Burna Boy. The track, in Spanish and English, mixes afrobeat and Caribbean rhythms, performed in the middle of dozens of dancers.
Before her, the Mexican band Maná, Venezuelan pop singer Danny Ocean, the group Los Ángeles Azules, Colombian reggaeton star J Balvin, and the Hispano-Mexican singer Belinda had taken the stage after an opening segment featuring dancers in indigenous costumes — wearing large feather headdresses — and women in traditional outfits, accompanied by drummers.
Finally, before the opening match between Mexico and South Africa, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli is expected to perform the World Cup national anthem, titled DNA, a mix of opera and electronic music produced by French DJ David Guetta.
