FIFA World Cup 2026 opening ceremony: Shakira and Burna Boy kickstart tournament with Dai Dai in Mexico City

The 2026 Men’s FIFA World Cup officially got underway with a spectacular and high-energy opening ceremony at the historic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Colombian pop sensation Shakira spearheaded the star-studded event alongside Nigerian Afrobeat giant Burna Boy, electrifying a capacity crowd with a vibrant performance of their official tournament anthem, “Dai Dai.”

The first ceremony took place at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, with the stage set 90 minutes before kick-off. It was a ground that needed no introduction. It became the first stadium in history to host World Cup matches across three different tournaments, having done so previously in 1970 and 1986. Pel lifted the trophy there. So did Maradona.

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Although it was planned to start at 11:30 PM IST, the ceremony started off early at 11:10 PM itself.

Shakira headlined with Nigerian singer Burna Boy, performing their official tournament single “Dai Dai” live for the first time. It marked her fourth World Cup appearance, and her first at an opening ceremony since South Africa in 2010, having also performed at the 2014 closing ceremony in Rio. The full lineup also included Alejandro Fernndez, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los ngeles Azules, Man, and Tyla.

The event started off with a dance and theatrical performance that featured a flashback to Mexico’s roots.

The live musical performances were kickstarted by Man as fireworks went off in the background. This was followed by a performance from Belinda, who got the fans on their feet. The stadium was completely full and grooving to the tunes.

Next, it was time for J Balvin and his hit song “Que Calor.” The colours across the stadium were just spectacular at that moment.

Shakira then took the stage with Burna Boy and left the stadium absolutely spellbound. The Colombian superstar looked all set to create history with her performances at this World Cup, and the crowd completely joined in for the performance. The fireworks went off one last time and the opening ceremony came to an end.

It was short, sweet, and electric at the same time. Once it wrapped up, it was time for football as the countdown ticked down to just one hour away from kickoff.

After the opening ceremony concluded, the crowd started the wait for host nation Mexico to face South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in the first of 104 matches at this expanded World Cup—in what was also, of course, a nostalgic repeat of the 2010 curtain-raiser.

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All matches were broadcast live on television on Unite8 Sports, Zee Entertainment’s newly launched sports network, with livestreaming available for Indian football fans on the Zee5 app and website. Select matches, including all games from the quarter-finals onwards, also aired on DD Sports.

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