With fire and song, the greatest show on earth kicked off in spectacular style last night.
The biggest and most expensive World Cup in history began at Mexico City’s mighty Azteca Stadium.
The 80,000-seat venue holds bitter memories for England fans as the scene of the ‘Hand of God’ crime – Diego Maradona’s infamous handball goal that sent England crashing out of the 1986 World Cup.
In an unwelcome reminder, footage from that miserable match was beamed to crowds last night via two giant screens at either end of the pitch.
But Colombian pop star Shakira soon captivated the stadium as she headlined the tournament’s colourful opening ceremony.
Red and white fireworks lit up the sky as, dressed in sunglasses and a miniskirt, Shakira sang – or at least lip-synced – the official World Cup song Dai Dai, meaning ‘Let’s go’, with Afrobeats star Burna Boy.
As a huge replica of the World Cup trophy span in the middle of the stadium, with the performers dancing around it, an announcer said Mexico ‘receives you with smiles from our heart’.
Despite the US co-hosting with Canada and Mexico, President Donald Trump was not at the 16-minute ceremony.
Shakira headlined the World Cup’s opening ceremony on Thursday with a dazzling performance alongside Burna Boy
Performers donned extravagant outfits for the colourful celebration
There was particularly impressive headgear that paid homage to native Mexican culture
A huge replica of the World Cup trophy span in the middle of the stadium
Controversially, Iran is competing despite being at war with the host country. America has banned its players from staying overnight in the US, forcing them to fly in and out for their games from a base in Mexico.
Meanwhile, 60 years after England’s 1966 triumph, captain Harry Kane and his squad are said to be in a ‘relaxed but determined’ mood.
Hopes are high that new manager Thomas Tuchel will build on the legacy of Sir Gareth Southgate, who took England to the quarter-finals at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The Lions begin their campaign next Wednesday with a match against Croatia in the Texas heat of Arlington, near Dallas.
Kane and his squad have been acclimatising to soaring humidity and temperatures in the high-30s with an 11-day pre-tournament stay in Florida.
They are moving to their permanent US training base in Kansas on Saturday.
The state – famed for the Wizard of Oz – has been plagued with tornado alerts all week. And experts warn that the whole World Cup could be disrupted by the impending ‘Godzilla El Nino’ climate catastrophe, which could strike over the next few weeks.
Scotland are in the tournament for the first time in 28 years and play Haiti at the weekend.
Militant teacher unions clashed with riot police outside the stadium
Police officers turned out in huge numbers to ensure the demonstrations did not interfere with proceedings
Violence flared between the protesters and police, with fences and other projectiles lobbed
The teachers were protesting over pay, pensions and labour reforms
With the time difference meaning most matches will be played late in the evenings, UK time, the competition is being dubbed the ‘night time World Cup’.
Employers face the prospect of mass sickies if England or Scotland progress to the knockout stage, while pubs are expected to serve an extra 280million pints if the team reach the final on July 19.
Fans travelling to the USA, Mexico and Canada face exorbitant transport, hotel and food prices, with Fifa accused of cashing in. But on the eve of the tournament, Fifa president Gianni Infantino urged people to ‘chill, relax’.
On Thursday night, fans went wild inside the Azteca as Shakira was accompanied by a traditional mariachi band.
But US viewers were baffled when Fox, the official American tournament broadcaster, failed to show the ceremony on its live coverage.
Katy Perry will headline the US’s own opening ceremony before its first match against Paraguay on Friday in Los Angeles.
Mexico kickstarted the tournament with a 2-0 win against South Africa at Estadio Azteca.
But outside, there were large-scale protests as a militant teachers’ union noisily demonstrated over pay, pensions and labour reforms.
In chaotic scenes, armed riot police charged protesters. Rioters hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails – as well as bananas and flowers – at mounted officers.
After one ugly clash, a policewoman was seen with a bleeding gash to her head.
