World Cup opening ceremony begins as Shakira headlines star-studded show

The World Cup 2026 has finally begun with a star-studded opening ceremony before Mexico and South Africa clash in the first match of the tournament. Today’s ceremony has been headlined by musical icons Shakira and Burna Boy at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca stadium, before the US and Canada host their own ceremonies tomorrow. Attention will turn to the pitch at 8pm BST, when Mexico face off with South Africa, who are at the World Cup for the first time since hosting in 2010. Follow The i Paper’s live blog In pictures: Opening ceremony performances begin Shakira to headline star-studded show as World Cup opening ceremony begins Sort: Newest first Oldest first June 11, 2026 8:11 pm Thank you for reading! Thank you for following The i Paper‘s live blog on the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Mexico City.The opening ceremony has now ended, as South Africa and Mexico kick off the first match of the tournament.For those of you who may have missed it, here are some photos of the ceremony:Burna Boy and Shakira perform ‘Dai Dai’, the official World Cup song this year (Photo: Europa Press Sports/Europa Press via Getty Images)Performers on the pitch during the opening ceremony (Photo: Ricardo Mazalan/AP)Dancers perform during the ceremony in Mexico City (Photo: Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)A performer during the ceremony, which took place ahead of the Mexico-South Africa clash (Photo: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters)World Cup 2026 Ambassador Salma Hayek Pinault before the match (Photo: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters) June 11, 2026 8:04 pm Players enter pitch ahead of national anthems The players of Mexico and South Africa and the match officials have entered the pitch.The national anthems of Mexico and South Africa will be sung by South African pop star Tyla and Mexican artist Alejandro Fernandez. June 11, 2026 8:02 pm Andrea Bocelli and Ejae perform World Cup anthem This year’s World Cup does not only have an official song – it also has an anthem.“DNA” by David Guetta, Megan Thee Stallion and Andrea Bocelli will be the World Cup anthem.But only Bocelli, the Italian tenor and Ejae, the KPop Demon Hunters star, are singing live today. June 11, 2026 7:59 pm In pictures: Shakira and Burna Boy perform official World Cup song Colombian singer, songwriter and producer Shakira performs during the ceremony (Photo: Rodrigo Oropeza/AFP via Getty Images)The pair’s song – “Dai Dai” – is the official World Cup 2026 song (Photo: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters)The opening ceremony took place at the Mexico City Stadium (Photo: Rodrigo Oropeza/AFP via Getty Images)Shakira performed on the pitch ahead of the clash between South Africa and Mexico (Photo: Ricardo Mazalan/AP) June 11, 2026 7:52 pm Salma Hayek welcomes fans to World Cup Hollywood actress Salma Hayek, the official World Cup ambassador, has just taken to the stage to welcome the fans to the tournament.The Mexican-American actress delivered her speech in Spanish.The flags of the 48 participating countries will now be carried to the middle of the pitch – which has mostly been cleared. June 11, 2026 7:45 pm Which countries will face off in the first games of the World Cup? The match schedule for the biggest ever World Cup includes 104 games played by a total of 48 teams.The matches will take place across 16 host cities in three countries – Canada, Mexico and the United States.The first match between Mexico and South Africa will take place at the historic Estadio Azteca stadium, which hosted the World Cup finals and opening games of 1970 and 1986.In the early hours of tomorrow morning, South Korea will face off with the Czech Republic at Mexico’s Guadalajara stadium.The third match of the tournament will take place in Toronto following Canada’s opening ceremony tomorrow.Canada will play against Bosnia and Herzegovina at 8pm BST.In the early hours of Saturday, the US will play against Paraguay in Los Angeles, after America’s own opening ceremony is completed.Qatar and Switzerland will then play against each other in San Francisco, while Brazil and Morocco will clash in New Jersey. June 11, 2026 7:30 pm The England players Thomas Tuchel must protect at all costs By Mark Douglas, Northern Football CorrespondentEliot Anderson has become one of the first names on the England team sheet (Photo: Getty)ORLANDO — Declan Rice knows what you’ve all been saying.Those pictures England players had taken earlier this week where they are re-enacting their goal celebrations? Rice looked decidedly rosy in his, clearly feeling the effects of the Florida sun.“I think everyone has seen those pictures, I was bright red in those photos. Honestly, my mum was killing me,” he told reporters after he hit the ground running with a solid display in England’s final World Cup warm-up.The 3-0 win was a step up from Saturday’s gentle stroll against New Zealand. And perhaps evidence that England are starting to understand the demands of playing in the humid conditions they’ll encounter here in the US.“The first day that we came, it was just getting used to that heat,” Rice explained.“Coming from England, where it’s hot-cold, all different types of weather, coming here and it’s always 30 degrees – it really does hit you in the face.”Rice’s sunburn won’t pose a threat to England’s World Cup chances. But he’s one of four players Thomas Tuchel needs to protect at all costs in the next week if the Three Lions are going to make short work of a potentially taxing Group L.Declan RiceRice, like the rest of the squad, is still adjusting to the heat of the American summer (Photo: Getty)How much better do things tick when Rice is here? He’s not just a good personality – universally respected and liked in the England camp – but he’s also a very, very fine midfielder who can provide style as well as a shield.With three major tournament appearances – including Qatar 2022, when England were dreadfully unlucky to go out to France in the quarter-finals – he also has experience of what is required to succeed in the rarefied World Cup air.Jude BellinghamBellingham’s swagger is a point of difference in this England team (Photo: PA)Forget the debate. It was fun for Tuchel to dispatch a few sacred cows last year when he had time on his side and could talk about culture and signing up to England DNA.But let’s not beat around the bush: sides that win World Cups need a certain swagger and Bellingham provides that for England.Part of the problem in the World Cup cycle has been that Tuchel’s Three Lions haven’t really been tested. They’ve played well in spells, something that you could say about Wednesday’s solid 3-0 defeat of Costa Rica, but they’ve yet to confront a really decent team under the German.Unless they come catastrophically unstuck here in America, that will change in the next fortnight or so, and when the challenges arrive, they will need Bellingham.He had the look of a player arriving in form at the right time in Orlando, showcasing his versatility and ability by occupying the number nine role for periods against Costa Rica. For his goals, his big game mentality and his ability, Bellingham needs to be involved from the start against Croatia.Read more here. June 11, 2026 7:25 pm Who will be performing at the Canada and US opening ceremonies? Canada and the US will be hosting their own World Cup opening ceremonies tomorrow.The line-up at Canada’s ceremony in Toronto will feature Canadian and international musical talents, including Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream and William Prince.Additional guests include actor Will Arnett and violinist Aleksandar Gajić. At the US opening ceremony in Los Angeles, performers will include Anitta, Future, Katy Perry, Lisa and Rema.Country duo Dan + Shay will perform their rendition of the US national anthem, while Paraguayan folk-pop group Purahei Soul will sing Paraguay’s. June 11, 2026 7:20 pm Shakira and Burna Boy’s World Cup song In case you haven’t heard it, here’s this year’s official World Cup song – “Dai Dai” by Shakira and Burna Boy. June 11, 2026 7:14 pm Shakira and Burna Boy perform official World Cup song Four-time Grammy winner Shakira has performed the official World Cup song, “Dai Dai”, alongside Nigerian artist Burna Boy.The performance is not Shakira’s first on the World Cup stage – she previously performed the competition’s official song “Waka Waka” in 2010.Meanwhile, in 2006, she performed her song “Hips Don’t Lie’, alongside Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean.Shakira and Burna Boy perform during the opening ceremony (Photo: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters) June 11, 2026 7:07 pm In pictures: Opening ceremony performances begin Colombian singer J Balvin performs before the start of the World Cup (Photo: Natacha Pisarenko/AP)Performers on the pitch during the opening ceremony (Photo: Natacha Pisarenko/AP)Mexico and South Africa will kick off the tournament following the opening ceremony (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)Fireworks display during the ceremony (Photo: Hector Vivas/FIFA via Getty Images)General view of performers during the opening ceremony (Photo: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters) June 11, 2026 6:55 pm Who will be performing at today’s opening ceremony? As The i Paper reported, musical icons Shakira and Burna Boy are headlining today’s World Cup opening ceremony. The performance will come after the duo released “Dai Dai” – the official song of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.Other artists included in today’s star-studden celebration are Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, Maná, Tyla and Ryan Castro.Fernández will sing Mexico’s national anthem before the tournament’s opening match. Tyla will be performing South Africa’s national anthem.Performers on the pitch during the opening ceremony (Photo: Natacha Pisarenk/AP) June 11, 2026 6:42 pm Opinion: The heroes and villains who will define this World Cup By Sean WalshThe first 48-team World Cup promises to be historic in many ways. There will be tears and there will be celebrations. There will be Hollywood endings and there will be larger-than-life stories.The greatest show on Earth is heading to North and Central America, and we’ve divvied out the roles accordingly.So, who will be the 2026 World Cup’s valiant heroes and most notorious villains?Villain: Donald TrumpWelcome to the Donald Trump show (Photo: Getty)Almost every controversy leading up to this World Cup, and the many that will undoubtedly happen during and after it, can be pinned squarely on the shoulders of Donald Trump.The US President managed to overshadow last year’s rejigged Club World Cup when he took centre-stage for Chelsea’s trophy celebrations.That largely elicited a mere shrug of the shoulders because of the competition’s lack of prestige, but becoming the main character – or rather the antagonist – of the esteemed international edition cannot stand. Yet, somehow it will.Villain: Gianni InfantinoFifa president Gianni Infantino appears to have developed a questionably close bond with Donald Trump (Photo: Reuters)Trump’s chokehold on this tournament is only this tight because Fifa chief Gianni Infantino has allowed it. The two presidents have tried their hardest to bring the game into disrepute long before a ball has even been kicked this summer.Infantino’s cronyism in making up the Fifa Peace Prize to hand to a warmonger in Trump was a clear message that nothing was off limits between the pair.Hero: Dick AdvocaatDick Advocaat is set to become the oldest manager in World Cup history (Photo: Getty)Let’s lighten the mood, shall we?One of the more heartwarming stories heading into the World Cup revolves around 78-year-old Dick Advocaat, the journeyman of all journeymen and head coach of minnows Curacao.This is Advocaat’s 29th different spell in charge of a football team, having started out at amateur Dutch side Door Samenwerking Verkregen Pijnacker (DSVP) in the 1980s. This will be his third World Cup after previous stints with his native Netherlands (1994) and latterly South Korea (2006), but he has saved arguably the best of his many, many tales until last.Advocaat helped Curacao secure their first-ever qualification to a World Cup in November 2025, pipping Jamaica to an automatic spot in the tournament, but stepped down due to the ill health of his daughter.However, her situation improved and Advocaat returned to the job last month. He is set to become the oldest manager in World Cup history.Read more here. June 11, 2026 6:31 pm In pictures: Fans gather ahead of Mexico-South Africa showdown A fan of Mexico poses outside the stadium (Photo: Hugo Rivera/Jam Media/Getty Images)Fans gather near FIFA Fan Fest ahead of the opening match (Photo: Paola Garcia/Reuters)Mexico supporters gather outside the Mexico City Stadium (Photo: Alfredo Estrella/AFP via Getty Images)Mexican fans gather in the fan zone ahead of the 2026 World Cup in Mexico City (Photo: Luis Cortes/AFP via Getty Images)Mexican fans wait to enter the FIFA Fan Fest (Photo: Paola Garcia/Reuters) June 11, 2026 6:13 pm Shakira to headline star-studded show as World Cup opening ceremony begins Welcome to The i Paper‘s live blog on the World Cup 2026 opening ceremony.Today’s ceremony will be headlined by music icons Shakira and Burna Boy at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca stadium.It will be the first opening ceremony of this year’s competition, with the US and Canada hosting their own ceremonies tomorrow.Attention will turn to the pitch at 8pm BST, when Mexico face off with South Africa, who are at the World Cup for the first time since hosting in 2010.Mexico supporters gather ahead of the 2026 World Cup in Mexico City (Photo: Alfredo Estrella/AFP via Getty Images)