I have covered enough FIFA opening ceremonies to know that the music lineup is what fans actually remember twenty years later. The 2026 tournament is the first World Cup co-hosted by three countries, and FIFA is leaning hard into that structure by staging three separate opening ceremonies — one in Mexico, one in the United States, one in Canada — each with its own music lineup tied to that country’s scene. The result is the most musically ambitious opening week in tournament history.
Mexico City Opening Ceremony Setlist: Every Performance (June 11, 2026)
The first of the three opening ceremonies lit up Mexico City ahead of the tournament’s opening match (Mexico vs South Africa). Here’s who took the stage and what they performed:
| Performer | Song(s) |
|---|---|
| Alejandro Fernández | Mexican national anthem |
| Tyla | South African national anthem |
| Maná | “Oye Mi Amor” (1992 hit) |
| Los Ángeles Azules | Cumbia medley |
| Belinda | Live set |
| Lila Downs | Live set |
| J Balvin | “Que Calor,” “Una A La Vez” (with Ryan Castro) & “I Like It” |
| Danny Ocean | “Partidazo” (official WC track) |
| Bocelli, Guetta, Megan Thee Stallion & EJAE | “DNA” — anthem live debut |
| Shakira & Burna Boy | “Dai Dai” — headline performance |
Go deeper: the official anthem “DNA”, the official song “Dai Dai”, and who sings the official World Cup 2026 song.
Below is the complete confirmed lineup for all three opening ceremonies, why each booking matters, and where to watch the broadcasts.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony Schedule
| Date | City / Country | Venue | Headliners |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 11, 2026 | Mexico City, Mexico | Estadio Azteca | Maná, Alejandro Fernández, J Balvin, Belinda & Los Ángeles Azules |
| June 12, 2026 | Los Angeles, USA | SoFi Stadium | Katy Perry, Lisa, Anitta, Rema, Tyla, Future |
| June 12, 2026 | Toronto, Canada | BMO Field | Michael Bublé, Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Jessie Reyez |
Mexico Opening Ceremony (June 11) — The Headliners
Mexico opens the tournament with the highest-stakes ceremony of the three — the first match of the entire World Cup 2026 takes place after this ceremony at Estadio Azteca. The music lineup is unmistakably built around Mexican music history and current global Latin pop:
- Maná — the legendary 90s Mexican rock band, the act that defined a generation of Música en Español crossover with stadium-rock production
- Alejandro Fernández — the most respected mariachi vocalist of his generation, son of Vicente Fernández
- J Balvin — Colombian reggaeton ambassador, one of the global faces of Latin urban music in the 2020s
- Belinda & Los Ángeles Azules — performing “Por Ella,” the official album’s cumbia entry
- Danny Ocean, Lila Downs, Tyla — supporting performances drawing on cumbia, Mexican folk, and South African Amapiano
The booking of Maná is the move most worth highlighting. Putting a 90s Mexican rock band in front of a global FIFA audience says something about how Mexico wants to be musically represented at this tournament — not just contemporary reggaeton, but the full breadth of Mexican popular music history.
United States Opening Ceremony (June 12, Los Angeles) — The Headliners
The U.S. ceremony at SoFi Stadium leans into Los Angeles as the cultural launching pad for global pop, with a deliberately international lineup:
- Katy Perry — the headliner; one of the most successful American pop artists of the last fifteen years
- Lisa (BLACKPINK) — the Thai member of BLACKPINK, reflecting K-pop’s deepening hold on the global pop conversation
- Anitta — Brazilian global pop crossover, bringing Portuguese-language pop to the lineup
- Rema — Nigerian Afrobeats artist whose “Calm Down” with Selena Gomez was one of the most-streamed songs of 2023
- Tyla — South African artist who brought Amapiano to global Grammy recognition
- Future — American rap superstar adding hip-hop weight to the lineup
- DJ Sanjoy — the curating DJ behind the ceremony
That is six headline-level artists across five continents’ worth of musical traditions, which is the most diverse single-night booking I can remember for a sports-event ceremony.
Canada Opening Ceremony (June 12, Toronto) — The Headliners
The Canadian ceremony at BMO Field leans into Canadian music history, with a lineup that spans 30+ years of Canadian pop:
- Michael Bublé — the most globally recognized Canadian crooner of the last two decades
- Alanis Morissette — the alt-rock icon whose Jagged Little Pill defined a generation of female-led rock
- Alessia Cara — Grammy-winning Canadian pop artist who emerged in the 2010s
- Jessie Reyez — Canadian-Colombian R&B artist; she also performs on the album’s “Illuminate”
- Nora Fatehi, William Prince, Elyanna, Vegedream — supporting performers spanning Indo-Canadian pop, Indigenous Canadian folk, Arab pop, and Ivory Coast football-celebration music
The Bublé / Morissette pairing alone signals how Canada wants to present its musical past at this tournament. Add Alessia Cara and Jessie Reyez and you get a lineup that spans Canadian pop’s entire post-1995 era.
Where to Watch the Opening Ceremonies
- FOX (U.S.) and FOX Sports streaming hold the U.S. broadcast rights
- TSN / CTV (Canada) — Canadian broadcast rights
- Televisa & TV Azteca (Mexico) — Mexico broadcast rights
- FIFA+ — FIFA’s own streaming platform will carry the ceremonies in most international markets
- Official YouTube clips — expect the full performance videos to be uploaded to FIFA’s YouTube channel within 24 hours of each ceremony
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is performing at the FIFA World Cup 2026 opening ceremony?
There are three opening ceremonies — one each in Mexico, the U.S., and Canada. Headliners include Maná, Alejandro Fernández, J Balvin (Mexico City); Katy Perry, Lisa, Anitta, Rema, Tyla, Future (Los Angeles); and Michael Bublé, Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Jessie Reyez (Toronto).
When does the FIFA 2026 opening ceremony take place?
The Mexico ceremony is on June 11, 2026 at Estadio Azteca, immediately before the tournament’s opening match. The U.S. and Canada ceremonies follow on June 12, 2026.
Why are there three opening ceremonies?
2026 is the first FIFA World Cup co-hosted by three nations — Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Each host country is staging its own opening ceremony with a music lineup reflecting that country’s scene, on consecutive days at the start of the tournament.
Is Shakira performing at the opening ceremony?
Shakira is performing the official song “Dai Dai” (with Burna Boy) and is co-headlining the World Cup Final halftime show on July 19. She is not listed among the confirmed performers at any of the three opening ceremonies.
Where can I watch the FIFA 2026 opening ceremony?
Broadcast rights: FOX (U.S.), TSN / CTV (Canada), Televisa & TV Azteca (Mexico), and FIFA+ in most international markets. Full performance clips will appear on the official FIFA YouTube channel within 24 hours.
For more World Cup music coverage, see our soundtrack news section.