Shakira and Burna Boy open the 2026 World Cup in a first-ever triple ceremony

The 2026 World Cup launched with three opening ceremonies for the first time — Shakira and Burna Boy at a historic Estadio Azteca, then Toronto and Los Angeles. Inside the music, the moments and the meaning.

The 2026 World Cup kicked off on Thursday, June 11 with a star-studded opening ceremony at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. For the first time in the tournament's history, each of the three host nations — Mexico, Canada and the United States — is staging its own dedicated opening ceremony, tied to its respective opening match. A triple-header of celebrations to launch the first 48-team World Cup, as CBS Sports reported.

Mexico City: the main event. The primary ceremony took place about 90 minutes before Mexico's 2-0 win over South Africa, in front of a roaring crowd of more than 80,000 at a newly modernised Azteca. The show celebrated Mexican and Aztec culture through traditional papel picado designs, indigenous dances and a vast drone light display.

Shakira and Burna Boy stole the show. The biggest musical moment came when Colombian icon Shakira took the pitch alongside Nigerian Afrobeats star Burna Boy to debut "Dai Dai" — the official song of the 2026 World Cup, its title an Italian phrase meaning "let's go" — for the first time, echoing the energy of Shakira's 2010 "Waka Waka". Around them was a stacked lineup: J Balvin, Tyla, Maná, Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean and Los Ángeles Azules, as TODAY detailed. Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli joined K-pop star EJAE for a soaring rendition of "DNA", the official tournament anthem.

A welcome and a parade. Hollywood star and World Cup Ambassador Salma Hayek Pinault stepped onto the field to formally welcome the world, ushering in a Parade of Flags featuring the colours of all 48 competing nations — bigger and longer than ever for the expanded format.

Nostalgia at a historic ground. The venue choice was deliberate. The Azteca became the first stadium in football history to host three World Cup opening matches (1970, 1986 and 2026), and giant screens replayed archival footage of Pelé in 1970 and Diego Maradona in 1986, bridging the eras.

The anthems and kick-off. The ceremony closed with a vocal showdown between the opening teams: South African sensation Tyla led a stirring rendition of her nation's anthem, followed by Alejandro Fernández singing the Mexican anthem, before bursts of green and red smoke primed the crowd for the hosts' victory.

Toronto's cultural mosaic. Canada staged its inaugural celebration on Friday, June 12, around 90 minutes before the Canadian men's first-ever home World Cup match, against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Kicking off at 1:30 PM local time — roughly 8:30 PM in Kenya — the show leaned into a "cultural mosaic" theme. Canadian superstar Michael Bublé headlined, Alanis Morissette sang the national anthem, and Alessia Cara, Nora Fatehi, Jessie Reyez, Elyanna and Vegedream performed, with comedian Will Arnett as master of ceremonies.

Los Angeles rounds it off. The United States closed the triple-header later on Friday at SoFi Stadium, before the U.S. faced Paraguay. Starting 4:30 PM Pacific — around 2:30 AM Saturday in Kenya — the LA show went big on immersive storytelling and American pop culture. Katy Perry headlined, joined by Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema and a second appearance from Tyla.

A first-of-its-kind opening. Historically, a single host city held one opening ceremony before the very first match. With three co-hosts, FIFA split the launch into three localised ceremonies — a first. Add the Azteca's third opening, a 48-nation Parade of Flags, and an unprecedented multi-genre lineup — reggaeton, Afrobeats, pop, opera, rock and K-pop on the same bill, whose "Dai Dai" fans voted the best World Cup song — and 2026 announced a deliberately globalised era of football.

An African flavour. For fans across Africa and here in Kenya, the ceremonies carried a familiar beat: Burna Boy and Rema flew the Afrobeats flag, and South Africa's Tyla performed on two continents in two days — her national anthem at the Azteca, then the Los Angeles stage. A reminder that the world's game, and its biggest party, now speaks fluent African.