Shakira and J Balvin get the World Cup party started

The 2026 World Cup Opening Ceremony kicked off the tournament on Thursday, with a musical show that blended traditional and modern Latin American music and featured performances by artists from across the continent. The show was hosted at the Estadio Azteca, one of the most iconic venues in Mexico and World Cup history. The ground is now set to become the first-ever to host a third World Cup opening game, when the Mexican national team takes on its South African counterpart The ceremony began with scenes depicting the Juego de pelota, a ballgame and ritual played by the people of Ancient Mesoamerica, which some scholars identify as one of footballs historical precursors. There, Mexican singer-songwriter Lila Downs welcomed the world to Mexico, saying that football unites us all, as a giant golden trophy, featuring imagery inspired by Native American artwork, took center stage. After that, the music show began, with iconic Mexican rock band Man singing their 1992 hit Oy mi Amor (Hear, my love). Venezuelan singer and songwriter Danny Ocean took the stage after them, with Partidazo, a song from the official World Cup song album. He was quickly followed by Mexican pop star Belinda, and the cumbia band Los ngeles Azules took the stage, singing together and surrounded by traditional dancers in bright clothes. Colombian singer J Balvin teamed up with compatriot rapper and singer Ryan Castro, who took over from them with a medley of modern Latin American hits and urban dance styles. Proceedings came to a close with Shakira performing the World Cup 2026 theme song, Dai Dai, alongside Nigerian singer-songwriter Burna Boy and a myriad of singers, closing the song with a fireworks display. After that, all the countries participating in the 2026 World Cup were introduced with their flags, with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and South Korean and United States singer-songwriter EJAE singing DNA, the Official FIFA World Cup 2026.