FOR the first time in FIFA World Cup history there will be multiple ceremonies taking place before the kick-off of the opening matches of the 2026 edition taking place in the United States of America, Mexico and Canada from tonight until July 19.
There will be three opening ceremonies, one in each co-hosting nation, with Nigerian Afrobeats stars Burna Boy and Rema performing.
The first will take place tonight at Mexico City Stadium, officially known as Banorte Stadium, followed by the first of three opening matches.
The following day, tomorrow, two more opening ceremonies will start simultaneously – one at SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, USA and the other at BMO Field, Toronto, Canada.
“Starting with Mexico City and continuing the next days with Toronto and Los Angeles, these ceremonies will bring together music, culture and football in a way that reflects both the individuality of each nation and the unity that defines this tournament,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
This year’s opening ceremonies have also incorporated more interactive elements for fans at the stadiums.
FIFA said there will be a 360-degree immersive concept, with extra-large country flags and on-pitch elements designed to involve the crowd. The starting teams and substitutes will step into a centre circle banner for their national anthems.
All three countries will start their opening ceremonies about 90 minutes before the kick-off for the opening matches.
This follows a similar pattern to previous World Cup events, except for when Russia hosted in 2018 when kick-off occurred directly after the opening ceremony ended.
The duration of this year’s trilogy of opening ceremonies is not yet known.
Even with the trilogy of ceremonies, the number of headliners per ceremony is larger than previous years. The last time there was a celebration with a similar number of headliners was in 2010 when South Africa held a Kick-Off Celebration Concert the evening before the opening match.
While Rema will perform alongside American superstars Katy Perry and Future in the United States opening ceremony, Burna will appear alongside Colombian pop icon Shakira in Mecico as she sings at her second World Cup after South Africa 2010.
South African star Tyla will perform at two ceremonies — in Mexico where her country fave the hosts in the opening match and in the US.
Also, it’s not always singers who feature in the line-up.
Morgan Freeman was a key act at the 2022 Qatar opening, when he used his familiar voice to narrate the opening segment alongside Qatari entrepreneur Ghanim Al-Muftah.
With agency report
