The 2026 World Cup kicks off with Canada, Mexico, and the United States: Shakira and Bocelli will perform at the opening ceremony.

The 2026 World Cup officially kicks off, running until July 19th in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. This year's edition is the second to be hosted by multiple countries, following the 2002 edition in South Korea and Japan. The first match will see Mexico and South Africa take to the field at 9:00 p.m. Italian time at the historic Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, preceded by a spectacular opening ceremony featuring Shakira, Burna Boy, and Andrea Bocelli.

Opening ceremony and artists' show

The opening night, starting at 20pm Italian time, will transform the Azteca Stadium on a global stage. Shakira e Burna Boy will perform the official song of the competition, “Dai Dai”, while Andrea Bocelli, accompanied by Ejae, will sing the anthem "Dna". The show will also feature the participation of great Latin American artists such as J Balvin, Belinda, Alejandro Fernández, Lila Downs, Danny Ocean, Maná, Los Ángeles Azules e Silence. In addition, three opening ceremonies are planned for each host country.

Azteca Stadium, theater of world history

Lo Azteca Stadium It boasts a unique record: it will be the only stadium to have hosted matches in three different World Cups, holding the record with 19 matches, destined to become 24. The finals were held here in 1970, won by Pelé's Brazil against Italy, and in 1986, when Maradona's Argentina defeated West Germany. Also iconic are the "match of the century" between Italy and West Germany in 1970 and Maradona's "Hand of God" goal in 1986 against England.

The first official match will see the two teams face each other Mexico e South Africa 21 now Italian.