The opening ceremony of the 2026 FIFA World Cup took place in the capital of Mexico. The festive show was held at the legendary Azteca Stadium, which welcomed the first guests of the world championship. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The musical program was opened by world stars. Shakira, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, Colombian performer J Balvin, and singer EJAE performed in front of the fans. One of the central moments of the ceremony was the live performance of the tournament's official anthem DNA, presented by Andrea Bocelli, French DJ David Guetta, American rapper Megan Thee Stallion, and EJAE.
The visual concept of the show was inspired by the traditional Mexican art of papel picado — decorative paper patterns that are considered one of the symbols of national culture.
Immediately after the ceremony, the first match of the tournament started, featuring the national teams of Mexico and South Africa. The game began at 00:00 Kazakhstan time.
For the first time in history, the World Cup is being held with the participation of 48 national teams. The teams are divided into 12 groups of four. The tournament hosts — the USA, Canada, and Mexico — received automatic berths, while the other participants went through qualifying.
The group stage will last until June 27. The top two teams from each group, as well as the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to the playoffs. A total of 104 matches will be played during the world championship, setting a new record in the history of the World Cup.