FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: Shakira, Burna Boy Take Centre Stage

The curtain has come down on the FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony, which combined music, culture and history ahead of the tournament opener between Mexico and South Africa.

The evening's headline act saw Shakira and Burna Boy deliver the first live performance of Dai Dai, the official song of FIFA World Cup 2026. Mexican rock legends Maná energized the home crowd with a stadium-wide singalong, while J Balvin and Ryan Castro brought reggaeton rhythms to Estadio Azteca.

Tyla, Alejandro Fernández, Andrea Bocelli, Belinda, Danny Ocean, Lila Downs and Los Ángeles Azules also featured during the celebrations.

One of the night's biggest milestones belonged to the venue itself. Estadio Azteca became the first stadium in football history to host World Cup opening ceremonies or opening matches across three different editions of the tournament, having previously staged curtain-raisers in 1970 and 1986.

The team news is in ahead of the opening match of FIFA World Cup 2026.

Mexico appear set to line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with teenage prospect Gilberto Mora starting on the bench. The hosts will instead rely on a front three of Roberto Alvarado, Raúl Jiménez and Julián Quiñones as they look to make a winning start on home soil.

For South Africa, the selection suggests a more cautious approach. Bafana Bafana have named five defenders in their starting XI, signalling an emphasis on defensive solidity against the hosts.

Mexico XI: Rangel; Montes, Vásquez, Reyes, Gallardo; Lira, Fidalgo, Gutiérrez; Alvarado, Jiménez, Quiñones.

South Africa XI: Williams; Modiba, Mbokazi, Sibisi, Mudau, Okon; Mokoena, Sithole, Adams; Foster, Rayners.

pic.twitter.com/3aZNMDtQUy

— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) June 11, 2026

The official lineup! 🚨

This is our first #StartingXI of the World Cup.

Ready to give it our all. LET'S GOOOOOO! 🫶#SomosMéxico 🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/YKVToWMAYe

— Mexican National Team (@miseleccionmxEN) June 11, 2026

And just like that, the FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony has come to an end.

The celebrations concluded after the performance of Dai Dai, the tournament's official song. The title, derived from an Italian phrase commonly translated as "let's go" or "come on", served as a fitting finale to the festivities at Estadio Azteca.

With the music and performances now over, attention turns to the main event as Mexico and South Africa prepare to kick off the first-ever 48-team FIFA World Cup.

One of the most anticipated moments of the evening is here as Shakira and Burna Boy take centre stage to perform Dai Dai, the official song of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The Colombian superstar is greeted with a huge roar from the crowd at Estadio Azteca as she appeared on stage. Burna Boy then joined the performance, bringing his signature Afrobeats influence to the song.

The energy levels inside Estadio Azteca have gone up another notch as J Balvin and Ryan Castro take over the musical celebrations.

The Colombian stars are delivering a high-octane reggaeton performance, bringing an urban-Latin flavour to the opening ceremony. 

However, they're only setting the stage for the biggest act. 

The musical segment of the opening ceremony is now underway, with two Mexican acts opening the show at Estadio Azteca.

The opening ceremony has begun with a message of welcome from the hosts.

"People of the world, welcome to Mexico," an elegantly dressed announcer declared as performers combined traditional and contemporary dance around a giant replica of the FIFA World Cup Trophy.

The wait is over. The FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony is officially underway at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony has not yet begun despite the scheduled start time having passed at Estadio Azteca.

No official reason for the brief delay has been communicated so far. Remember, England’s final warm-up match was delayed by a thunderstorm on Wednesday. 

Stay tuned as we bring you the latest updates from Mexico City.

The countdown is nearly over in Mexico City.

More than 80,000 fans have packed into Estadio Azteca, creating a sea of green as Mexico supporters prepare to welcome their stars onto football's grandest stage.

South African fans are also making their presence felt, adding to an atmosphere that has steadily built throughout the evening.

We're now less than 10 minutes away from the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony at the Estadio Azteca.

The stadium is filling up, the stage is set and anticipation is building ahead of a star-studded show featuring Shakira, Burna Boy, J Balvin, Tyla and several Mexican music icons.

The stage is set.

Mexico City Stadium is ready to host its third @FIFAWorldCup opening game 🙌🏟️ pic.twitter.com/FFptXqyZPj

— FIFA (@FIFAcom) June 11, 2026

The festivities in Mexico City are only the beginning.

For the first time in FIFA World Cup history, the tournament is being launched through a multi-city opening celebration spanning three host nations. Rather than a single curtain-raiser, FIFA has planned a trilogy of opening ceremonies across Mexico, Canada and the United States.

Today's ceremony at Estadio Azteca serves as the first chapter, with organisers showcasing Mexican culture through music, dance and artistic displays inspired by papel picado, the country's traditional decorative paper craft.

The celebrations will continue on Friday when Canada and the United States host their own opening events ahead of their tournament debuts.

Toronto is set to stage a ceremony featuring performers including Michael Bublé, Alanis Morissette and Nora Fatehi, while Los Angeles will host a separate showcase headlined by Katy Perry, Future and BLACKPINK star LISA.

The 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup will be unlike any tournament that has come before it.

For the first time in history, 48 teams will compete for football's biggest prize, up from the 32-team format that had been in place since France 1998. The expansion increases the number of participating nations by 16 and brings more countries from every confederation into the competition.

The 48 teams have been divided into 12 groups of four. The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the knockout stage, creating a Round of 32 before the traditional last-16 phase.

The expanded format means the tournament will feature 104 matches, compared to 64 at Qatar 2022, making it the largest FIFA World Cup ever staged. It is also the first World Cup to be jointly hosted by three nations, Mexico, the United States and Canada.

One of the most anticipated moments of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony will see Shakira and Burna Boy perform Dai Dai, the tournament's official song, for the first time in front of a live audience.

Released last month, the title is derived from the Italian slang "dai dai", which roughly translates to "come on, come on," a common sporting expression used to encourage players and fans alike.

The song blends Latin pop influences with Afro-fusion rhythms and was designed to reflect the global nature of the tournament. Its multilingual lyrics span English, Spanish, Italian, French and Japanese, while the songwriting credits include music industry heavyweights Ed Sheeran and Jon Bellion alongside Shakira and Burna Boy.

Here's a look at the official music video, released in May, which features appearances from footballing stars starting with Kylian Mbappé.

The last time Mexico and South Africa met in a FIFA World Cup opening match, Siphiwe Tshabalala produced one of the tournament's most iconic openers. 

Who is going to produce the opening goal at the 2026 edition? 

Siphiwe Tshabalala and the first goal of 2010 ⚽️

Who will score the first goal of #FIFAWorldCup 2026? pic.twitter.com/BqylOCGcbb

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 11, 2026

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is set to officially get underway in Mexico City with a star-studded opening ceremony ahead of the tournament opener between Mexico and South Africa.

Hosted at the iconic Estadio Azteca, the ceremony will launch the first-ever 48-team FIFA World Cup and celebrate a tournament being staged across three host nations, Mexico, the United States and Canada, for the first time in history. Mexico is also making history as the first country to host World Cup matches across three different editions.

Global music stars Shakira and Burna Boy are set to perform the official tournament song Dai Dai, while Tyla, J Balvin, Maná, Alejandro Fernández, Los Ángeles Azules, Belinda, Lila Downs and Danny Ocean are also expected to feature in the pre-match spectacle.