The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the largest in history, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches across three host countries,Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The tournament will open with three distinct ceremonies, each reflecting the culture of its host nation, according to USA Today and football-asian.com.

Mexico City Hosts First Ceremony and Opening Match

The first opening ceremony will take place on Thursday, June 11, at 1:30 p.m. ET (10:30 a.m. PT) in Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, according to Billboard and Ruhr Nachrichten. This will be the first time the Azteca Stadium has hosted a World Cup opening ceremony for a third time—having previously hosted in 1970 and 1986, as noted by sportschau.de.

Other performers include Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, Maná, and Tyla, according to USA Today and football-asian.com. The ceremony will feature performances by Shakira and Burna Boy, who will perform the official World Cup song “Dai Dai” to support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund. The ceremony will precede the opening match, in which Mexico will face South Africa at 9 p.m. MESZ (5 p.m. local time), as reported by Ruhr Nachrichten.

United States and Canada to Host Separate Ceremonies

Two additional opening ceremonies will follow on Friday, June 12. The U.S. ceremony will take place at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT) at Los Angeles Stadium, featuring performances by Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA of BLACKPINK, Rema, and Tyla, according to USA Today and Billboard. The U.S. team will then face Paraguay in the opening match.

Canada’s ceremony will also occur on June 12 at 1:30 p.m. ET (10:30 a.m. PT) in Toronto Stadium and will include a mix of Canadian and international performers such as Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Michael Bublé, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream, and William Prince, according to USA Today and Billboard.

How to Watch the Ceremonies

Each ceremony will be broadcast in English on Fox and in Spanish on Telemundo, with streaming options available via DIRECTV, Sling Blue, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, and Fox One, according to Billboard. In Germany, the opening match will be broadcast on ZDF and MagentaTV, with the ceremony beginning at 9 p.m. MESZ, as reported by Ruhr Nachrichten.

Shakira will return to the World Cup stage for the second time, having previously performed “Waka Waka” at the 2010 tournament in South Africa. The “Dai Dai” song, which includes lyrics in multiple languages and references to football legends such as Pelé and Lionel Messi, will be performed for the first time live at the ceremony, according to sportschau.de.