E-Paper
Sign In
FIFA World Cup 2026 opening ceremony: Shakira, LISA, Katy Perry and more to perform
The FIFA World Cup 2026 is turning its traditional opening ceremony into a three-country music extravaganza
- PUBLISHED: Tue 9 Jun 2026, 1:01 PM UPDATED: Tue 9 Jun 2026, 3:42 PM
The opening day of the FIFA World Cup has never been just about football, but for 2026, organisers are throwing out the traditional playbook entirely. Instead of a singular grand curtain-raiser, this edition stretches the spectacle across three host nations, three iconic cities, and three completely distinct moods.
By transforming the traditional kick-off into a multi-day global celebration, FIFA is effectively launching a full-scale music festival where Latin rock icons, Arab alt-pop, Afrobeats, amapiano, and K-pop all share the same stage.
Who will win the Fifa World Cup 2026? Predict your champion here
Recommended For You
The marathon begins on June 11 in Mexico City, where the Estadio Azteca stadium steps back into the spotlight as the historic heart of the tournament. The headline act of the opening day belongs to ‘Dai Dai’, the official World Cup 2026 anthem, which will be performed live by Shakira and Burna Boy.
Fusing her unmistakable Latin pop with his heavy-hitting Afrobeats punch, the performance is sure to be the musical launchpad of the entire summer. From thereon, the lineup unfolds like a love letter to Latin music, featuring powerhouse names like Maná, Alejandro Fernández, J Balvin, Los Ángeles Azules, Belinda, Lila Downs and Danny Ocean.
South Africa’s Tyla will also add an unexpected twist to the programming, bringing a fresh amapiano flavour to an otherwise proudly regional party.
But that’s not all. Twenty-four hours later, the spotlight shifts north to Toronto, where Canada will showcase a cultural mosaic that sounds like everywhere at once. Rather than relying on a single dominating headliner, the Toronto ceremony feels like a finely curated playlist built around a mix of homegrown legends and global trailblazers.
Michael Bublé, Alanis Morissette, and Alessia Cara cover the Canadian pop spectrum, while artists like Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna, French hitmaker Vegedream, Jessie Reyez, Nora Fatehi, William Prince and DJ Sanjoy pull the production firmly into multicultural territory.
The opening weekend culminates in Los Angeles. Staged at the ultra-futuristic SoFi Stadium, California’s own Katy Perry will lead a stadium-sized pop concert, joined by American rapper Future and the star power of Brazilian sensation Anitta.
K-pop will also have its own major moment courtesy of Blackpink's LISA, while Afrobeats favourite Rema will bring his streaming-era star power to the stage. Tyla, meanwhile, is set to make a second appearance, further underscoring FIFA's effort to reflect the global sounds shaping contemporary pop culture.
Even if football remains the main event, the opening ceremony is surely making a compelling case for itself as the world's biggest concert.
