World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony Features Shakira, Bocelli, and Mexican Artists as Mexico Defeats South Africa 2-0
The 2026 FIFA World Cup opened at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on June 11 with a star-studded ceremony featuring Shakira, Andrea Bocelli, J Balvin, Maná, and K-pop artist EJAE, followed by Mexico's 2-0 victory over South Africa. The tournament is the first jointly hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada, with 48 participating nations and additional opening events held across North America. The ceremony marked the beginning of the world's largest soccer tournament, with K-pop, Latin music, Afrobeats, and opera all woven into the official programming for the first time at this scale.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 kicked off at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on June 11, 2026, with an opening ceremony that blended Latin, African, K-pop, and classical music before Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0 in Group A. Shakira performed the official tournament song 'Dai Dai' with Nigerian star Burna Boy, reprising her role as a World Cup performer after Waka Waka in 2010. Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and South Korean-American singer EJAE performed the official anthem 'DNA' alongside French DJ David Guetta during the flag parade, with EJAE delivering Korean-language lyrics that spread widely online. Mexican acts including Maná, Los Ángeles Azules with Belinda, and Danny Ocean provided regional cultural flavor, while Colombian star J Balvin arrived on a cardboard car for a medley of hits. Actress Salma Hayek, a 2026 World Cup ambassador, gave a welcome speech during the flag parade, and singer Lila Downs welcomed the crowd in Spanish, English, Mixtec, and Nahuatl. Tyla and Alejandro Fernández performed the South African and Mexican national anthems respectively before kickoff, and two Labubu figures in soccer jerseys made a cameo appearance on stage. The ceremony is the first of three planned opening events across the co-host nations, with the U.S. ceremony held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood featuring BLACKPINK's Lisa, Katy Perry, Anitta, and Rema.
What's missing
Viewership figures for the opening ceremony and the Mexico vs. South Africa match have not been reported across any of the sources.
How coverage differed
The National offered a critical review, describing the ceremony as 'a miss' with cultural elements that were 'undercooked' and lacking context, and critiquing 'Dai Dai' as better suited to the studio than a live stadium. The other outlets — ABC Australia, Channel NewsAsia, and UPI — reported the event in a largely celebratory or neutral descriptive tone, emphasizing the diversity of performers and the historic scale of the tournament without significant critical framing.
What different sources said
- Channel NewsAsiaCenter
Shakira, Andrea Bocelli meets K-pop, and Labubus at World Cup 2026 opening ceremony in Mexico City
- ABC AustraliaCenter
Shakira kickstarts World Cup opening ceremony in Mexico City
- NBC NewsLeft
Bocelli emociona al Mundo en la ceremonia de banderas | Ceremonia de Apertura | Telemundo Deportes
- The NationalCenter
World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony review: Shakira scores but Mexico’s ceremony falls short
- UPICenter
K-pop helps open 2026 World Cup across North America
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