Shakira and Burna Boy kick off World Cup 2026 with “Dai Dai” in Mexico

Shakira and Burna Boy opened the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Thursday, June 11, at Mexico City’s stadium, performing the World Cup anthem “Dai Dai.” The ceremony started 90 minutes before the opening match between Mexico and South Africa, and the scale was the kind that makes sponsors, broadcasters, and venue operators sit up: organizers said more than 80,000 people were inside the venue and millions watched around the world.

The star power did not stop at the anthem. Tyla performed the South African national anthem, ranchera icon Alejandro Fernández performed Mexico’s anthem on the field, and the broader lineup included Maná, J Balvin, Belinda, Danny Ocean, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, and Tyla. This mattered because the opening moment is when FIFA, its local partners, and the global media ecosystem lock in attention. You get one shot to frame the tournament as a worldwide event, not a local sporting calendar entry.

And it was framed that way. The ceremony took place at Estadio Azteca, a venue with a long list of historic soccer moments, including figures such as the late Pelé and Diego Maradona during the 1970 and 1986 World Cups, respectively. In practical terms, that history adds weight to the signals FIFA sends. A ceremony in a stadium that has hosted landmark World Cup narratives is a branding shortcut: FIFA is leaning on collective memory to help the 2026 tournament feel like the next chapter, not a new roll of the dice.

Behind the curtain, it was also a story about who FIFA put in front of audiences. Mexican actress and producer Salma Hayek served as the honorary host and had been previously appointed as the tournament’s official ambassador. Hayek greeted attendees and the international audience just minutes before the first kickoff, positioning a Hollywood-level face right at the moment the world transitions from “build-up” to “live.” For decision-makers in media rights, sponsorship, and brand partnerships, that kind of timing is not cosmetic. It is about converting viewers into long-term attention and making sure the tournament’s cultural footprint matches the broadcast footprint.

There was also an unmistakable political subtext in the coverage. The source notes that Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, declined to attend the tournament’s opening match featuring the Mexican national team at Mexico City’s stadium. Instead, she gave her ticket to a young Mexican soccer fan through a nationwide contest. For executives and boards, this is a reminder that mega-events do not just require operational excellence. They also require careful alignment between national visibility, public sentiment, and optics. When a head of state chooses a public-facing contest allocation over a stadium appearance, it changes the narrative FIFA and local partners are likely to ride into the match.

From the entertainment side, the official messaging leaned into the sports-and-music overlap as a global unifier. In a statement to Billboard Español, Fher Olvera, lead singer of Maná, said, “I believe that two of the most beautiful things in existence are art and sports because they have the ability to bring people together.” He added that “Soccer unites entire countries around the same emotion, and music does something similar,” and that it feels special to be part of the World Cup opening. The quotes are worth highlighting because they reveal the logic FIFA is banking on: the opening ceremony is not simply a pre-game show, it is an emotional bridge between fan identities.

That bridge ties into a larger hosting reality. This marks the third time Mexico has hosted a FIFA World Cup, but this time the tournament shares hosting duties with the United States and Canada. Shared hosting changes the incentive structure for every stakeholder. FIFA and local partners must create a unified global product experience across borders, languages, and audiences. That is one reason the ceremony used multiple national anthem performances and a cross-regional cast, pulling together Latin American stars, African representation through Burna Boy and Tyla, and mainstream global visibility through artists like J Balvin and Shakira.

Strategically, the second-order takeaway is that the World Cup opening is increasingly a media event first, sport event second. The lineup, the honorary host, and the way national representation was handled all point to one goal: maximize global attention at kickoff. For executives in sports media, sponsors, and boards monitoring reputation and engagement, the lesson is clear. The opening ceremony is a high-stakes distribution moment, where culture drives audience attachment, political optics can shift the narrative, and venue history supplies instant credibility.