Shakira opens a World Cup — again. This time, Burna Boy is beside her and three cities are watching. Three host nations, three opening ceremonies, one tournament — the 2026 World Cup opens in Mexico City with Shakira and Burna Boy performing the official song, before the curtain rises in Toronto and Los Angeles in the days that follow.
The 2026 World Cup has designed its opening like no tournament before it — not one ceremony, but three, one for each host nation, spread across three cities and two days. The first curtain rises in Mexico City, where Shakira and Burna Boy will perform Dai Dai, the official tournament anthem, ahead of the opening match between co-host Mexico and South Africa. They will be joined by a lineup spanning Latin pop, Afrobeats and Mexican folk: Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, Maná and Tyla.
Each ceremony takes place approximately 90 minutes before kickoff, produced by Italian director Marco Balich — the architect of the opening ceremony for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics earlier this year. FIFA has confirmed the Mexico City lineup in full; artists for the US and Canada ceremonies are partially confirmed, with more announcements expected.
In Toronto on 12 June, Alanis Morissette and Michael Bublé headline ahead of Canada’s opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina — a homecoming of sorts for both Canadian icons. Later that same day in Los Angeles, Katy Perry, global pop star LISA, Nigerian Afrobeats artist Rema, Brazilian pop artist Anitta and hip-hop artist Future perform before the United States faces Paraguay.
Shakira returns to the World Cup stage — and this time, she is not alone. Burna Boy brings Africa to the opening act of a tournament that spans three continents. — Editorial note · MT · June 2026
The final: Shakira again — with Madonna and BTS
Shakira is not only opening the tournament. She is also among the headliners confirmed for a Super Bowl-style halftime show at the World Cup final, alongside Madonna and Korean boy band BTS — a lineup that signals FIFA’s ambition to turn the final into a global entertainment event on par with the biggest shows in American sports.
The Dai Dai anthem carries an additional purpose: FIFA has said the song aims to raise $100 million in support of the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund. The last time the World Cup was held in the United States, in 1994, Diana Ross performed at the opening ceremony in Chicago — and famously missed a penalty kick as part of the show. Thirty-two years later, the scale has multiplied across three cities and two countries.
- Source: AP