World Cup 2026 marks the first version of the tournament to expand from 32 to 48 teams and be held in 3 countries. Unlike previous tournaments, the tournament will have up to 3 opening ceremonies, corresponding to the first match of each host team.
According to international media, the general director of the 3 opening ceremonies is Marco Balich (Italy), the person behind the impressive performances at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony at the beginning of 2026.
Marco Balich said he is ready to face the challenge of producing three programs in three cities, with teams of 260 to 300 people in each city.
Mr. Balich said the unified theme of the ceremonies will be "sports festival, football passion, symbolized by the cup itself". His idea is to tell stories from three different perspectives and languages, using design aesthetics representing each culture.
In Canada, a mosaic will represent the country's multicultural identity. Mexico's symbol will be traditional papercuts called papel picado, while the US will have "a super shiny, brilliant cup". Marco Balich was also the producer of the 2022 World Cup opening ceremony in Qatar.
Each ceremony will have top-notch art performances showing national identity, but Balich said that audiences should not expect a grand performance like during the Super Bowl break. Instead, the ceremonies will combine welcome speeches, flag parades, ball awards and about 30 minutes of music performances.
When will the FIFA World Cup 2026 opening ceremony take place?
The first opening ceremony took place at Estadio Azteca stadium in Mexico City, about 90 minutes before the opening match between Mexico and South Africa at 2:00 AM (Vietnam time) on June 12. This is the 3rd time Azteca stadium has hosted the World Cup opening match, after the 1970s and 1986s.
The next opening ceremony will take place at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada before the Canada vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina match at 2:00 AM on June 13.
In the US, the opening ceremony will be held at SoFi in Los Angeles at 8:00 AM on June 13, before the US team match against Paraguay. Singer Katy Perry, global pop star Lisa, rapper Future will participate in performances...
Who will perform at the opening ceremony in Mexico?
Latin superstar Shakira and Burna Boy will perform Dai Dai, the official song of the tournament, at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Alejandro Fernandez, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Angele Azules, Mana and Tyla are other artists participating in the performance.
Who will perform at the opening ceremony in Canada?
Alanis Morissette and Michael Buble will be the main artists performing in the program at BMO Field Stadium in Toronto. FIFA said it will announce more artists participating in performances at ceremonies in the US and Canada.
Who will perform in the half-time break program of the World Cup final?
Pop icons Madonna, Shakira and the famous K-pop group BTS will be the main artists performing the first half-time performance in the history of FIFA World Cup finals. These stars will make history when they step onto the stage at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19.
