Shakira kicks off the 2026 FIFA World Cup the Dai Dai way at the opening ceremony in Mexico City

The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup officially kicked off with a spectacular and energetic opening ceremony at Mexico City’s historic Estadio Azteca. Colombian pop sensation Shakira headlined the star-studded event alongside Nigerian Afrobeat giants Burna Boy and electrified the crowd with a high-energy performance of their official tournament anthem ‘Dai Dai’.

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

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Though scheduled to start at 11:30 PM IST, the ceremony started early at 11:10 PM.

Shakira headlined with Nigerian singer Burna Boy and performed her official tour single “Dai Dai” live for the first time. It was her fourth World Cup appearance and her first at the 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 Angeles Azules, Man and Tyla.

The event began with a dance and theater performance that included a flashback to the roots of Mexico. The opening ceremony kicked off with a special performance representing Mexican culture. (Photo by Reuters)

The live music performance was kicked off by Man as fireworks went off in the background. This was followed by a performance by Belinda, who brought the fans to their feet. The stadium was completely packed and roaring to the tunes. The music show was started by the popular group Mana. (Photo by Reuters)

Next it was time for J Balvin and his hit “Que Calor”. The colors in the stadium at that moment were downright spectacular.

Shakira then took the stage with Burna Boy and left the stadium in awe. The Colombian superstar looked set to make history with his performances at this World Cup and the crowd was totally into the performance. The fireworks went off for the last time and the opening ceremony ended.

It was short, sweet and electric all at the same time. Once that was over it was football time as the countdown ticked down to just one hour from kick-off.

After the opening ceremony, the crowd began to wait for host nation Mexico to take on South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in the first of 104 matches at this expanded World Cup – which was, of course, also a nostalgic repeat of the 2010 curtain-raiser.

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All the matches were telecast live on Unite8 Sports, Zee Entertainment’s newly launched sports network, with live streaming available for Indian football fans on the Zee5 app and websites. Selected matches, including all games from the quarter-finals onwards, were also telecast on DD Sports.

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Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

11 Jun 2026 23:50 IST