World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony Known Performers and Latest Rumors

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is slated to begin on Thursday with a fantastic matchup between Mexico and South Africa at Estadio Azteca. However, the tournament's opening ceremonies are set to be a two-day affair.

Since the 2026 World Cup is being co-hosted by Mexico, Canada, and the United States, three ceremonies are scheduled to take place across Thursday and Friday.

Here, you'll find everything you need to know, including scheduling information, known performers, and the latest buzz.

Opening Ceremonies Schedule

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Estadio Azteca

Mexico

When: Thursday, June 11

Where: Estadio Azteca in Mexico City

Time: 1:30 p.m. ET

Canada

When: Friday, June 12

Where: Toronto Stadium in Toronto

Time: 1:30 p.m. ET

United States

When: Friday, June 12

Where: SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

*All events can be live streamed with the Fox One app

Known Performers and Latest Buzz

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Katy Perry performs at Unipol Arena on November 02, 2025 in Bologna, Italy.

Fans hoping to catch a legendary musical act during the World Cup will have no shortage of opportunities. According to Matthew Jackson of PeacockTV.com, each host country will have its own opening-ceremony lineup with performances beginning roughly 90 minutes before the opening matches.

As previously mentioned, Mexico and South Africa will kick off the World Cup and the games to be played in Mexico. Canada will open against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday afternoon, while the U.S. team will open against Paraguay on Friday evening.

According to James Benge of CBS Sports, Mexico's lineup will be headlined by Shakira, Alejandro Fernandez, Belinda, Burna Boy, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Angeles Azules, Mana, and Tyla. Canada's lineup will feature Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream, and William Prince.

The Los Angeles ceremony will feature Katy Perry, Anitta, Future, LISA, and Rema.

Shakira and Burna Boy will perform "Dai Dai," the official anthem of the 2026 World Cup.

Of course, musical performances will only be part of the opening ceremonies. Fans can expect the global reach of the World Cup to be presented both at the opening ceremonies and throughout the tournament. FIFA has planned all-new pre-match ceremonies which will highlight each country and each player representing them.

From FIFA Media:

"Every player selected in the matchday squad will step into the spotlight to gather around the centre circle banner for the national anthems, ensuring that every individual – not just the starting XI – experiences that symbolic moment of pride and emotion when representing their country on football's greatest stage."

Fans can also look forward to more musical acts late in the tournament, as rumors persist regarding a planned Super Bowl-style halftime show during the World Cup final.

From Benge:

"While opening ceremonies are very much the norm, this will be the first major international soccer tournament to have its very own Super Bowl-style halftime show. Organizers insist that they can fit in performances by Madonna, Shakira and BTS into an interval that the laws of the game mandate must not exceed 15 minutes. We shall see."

If things go as planned, the World Cup halftime show could be the most-watched musical event in world history. According to Marcus Webb of Music Times, the global audience is projected to be 1.5 billion, far greater than Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl record audience of 133.5 million.

Of course, the World Cup halftime show is on the distant horizon, as the final is scheduled for July 19. The opening ceremonies, though, are almost here.