LISA, Anitta, and Rema Perform 'Goals' at FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony in Los Angeles
BLACKPINK's LISA, Brazilian singer Anitta, and Nigerian Afrobeats artist Rema performed their collaborative track 'Goals' at the FIFA World Cup 2026 opening ceremony at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on June 12, 2026. The performance marked the first time a Thai artist and a female K-pop act had headlined a FIFA World Cup opening ceremony. While the appearance drew widespread attention, it also prompted mixed reactions from Korean netizens online.
The US leg of the 2026 FIFA World Cup opened at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on June 12, featuring a multi-act ceremony that included LISA, Anitta, and Rema performing 'Goals,' a track from the official FIFA World Cup 2026 album produced by Grammy winner Cirkut. The three artists, dressed in coordinating white outfits, performed before a large FIFA World Cup trophy backdrop, with LISA delivering the opening verse, Anitta performing across English, Spanish, and Portuguese, and Rema closing with an Afrobeats verse. The Los Angeles event was one of three separate opening ceremonies held across the tournament's three co-host nations — Mexico City, Toronto, and Los Angeles — a first in World Cup history. Future and Tyla also performed at the LA ceremony, while Andrea Bocelli and singer-songwriter EJAE performed the official anthem 'DNA' at the Mexico City ceremony. LISA's appearance was historic as the first female K-pop act to headline a World Cup opening ceremony, though Korean netizens expressed divided opinions online, with some questioning her global profile and others defending the performance. The tournament's official song is 'Dai Dai' by Shakira and Burna Boy, and the biggest musical event is still ahead: Madonna, Shakira, and BTS are confirmed to co-headline the first-ever FIFA World Cup final halftime show on July 19.
What's missing
Neither source clarifies the current status of LISA's solo career metrics — such as streaming numbers or chart performance — that would provide objective context for the Korean netizen debate about whether she was 'famous enough' for the World Cup stage.
How coverage differed
Forbes framed LISA's performance primarily as a historic milestone and a celebration of global music diversity, emphasizing records broken and the scale of the event. Koreaboo focused more narrowly on the backlash from Korean netizens, foregrounding critical online comments while still acknowledging the historic nature of the appearance.
What different sources said
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