THE FIFA World Cup 2026 started inside Mexico City with a ceremony he gave Aztec Stadium another place in football history. The stadium, already associated with the 1970 and 1986 tournaments, became the first venue to host three opening FIFA World Cup matches as Mexico hosted South Africa for the opening game of the tournament.
EVENTS
Mexico hosted the first of three opening ceremonies planned for the co-host countries. FIFA worked with Balich Wonder Studio to produce Mexico City, which drew on Mexican culture and used papel picado as its main visual reference. Traditional perforated paper art appeared through the patterns, colors and design of the ceremony field, giving the playing field a direct connection to local craft and public celebration.
Lila Downs opened the performance program with a cultural prelude rooted in indigenous and folklore traditions. He delivered the opening sequence with dancers in traditional dress, setting a distinctly Mexican tone before the ceremony turned to live music. Manna “Oye Mi Amor” followed, bringing Mexican rock to the stadium and connecting one of the country’s most recognized bands to the first match of the tournament.
The program then turned to contemporary Latin music. Danny Ocean performed ‘Partidazo’, while The Blue Angels and Belinda added cumbia to the show with “Por Ella”. J Balvin and Ryan Castro also joined the lineup, adding a high-energy urban segment before the ceremony reached its main international performance.
Shakira led the first moment with Burna Boy performing ‘Dai Dai’, the official song of the tournament. Shakira returned to the FIFA World Cup stage for her fourth appearance at a World Cup event, with Burna Boy joining her for a live performance of the track in front of a giant replica of the FIFA World Cup trophy. Andrea Bocelli and EJAE he later performed ‘DNA’, the tournament’s official anthem. Their performance was accompanied by a procession with the flags of all 48 competing nations.
FIFA World Cup Ambassador Salma Hayek welcomed the spectators and presented the FIFA World Cup trophy on the pitch. Her appearance led directly to the parade of national flags representing each team participating in the tournament.
The ceremony also included appearances by BOOKS characters from POP MART, who joined the festivities as special guests.
Before the launch, Grammy Award-winning South African artist Silence performed the South African national anthem. Mexican singer Alejandro Fernandez performed the Mexican national anthem, with thousands of fans inside the stadium singing along. The ceremony concluded with fireworks and bursts of red and green smoke over the stadium.
Mexico then gave the home crowd a winning start. Julián Quiñones scored the opening goal and Raúl Jiménez added the second as Mexico beat South Africa 2-0. The match also had a physical edge, with three red cards before the final whistle. South Africa finished with nine men, while Mexico also lost Cesar Montes late in the game.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup now turns to the other two host country ceremonies. Canada will host the opening ceremony on June 12 at Toronto Stadium before Canada faces Bosnia-Herzegovina, with Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, William Prince, Elyanna, Sanjoy and Vegedream among the performers. THE Ceremony of the United States will also take place on June 12 at the Los Angeles Stadium before the United States take on Paraguay, with Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema and Tyla scheduled to perform.
