A World Cup with three host countries means a hat trick of opening ceremonies.
Each of the trio of nations – Mexico, Canada and the United States – called upon some of their top musical talent to put on their best show to mark the beginning of the tournament.
Mexico’s spectacle featured Shakira (already something of a World Cup veteran thanks to her 2010 anthem “Waka Waka”, which was selected by FIFA as the official song for the 2010 competition), Canada had Michael Bublé, and the USA put forward Katy Perry.
So which country won the battle for the best musical showstopper (arguably almost as important as the race to the Jules Rimet trophy, we’d say)?
Here’s your guide to what went down during each performance, so you can make your mind up…
Mexico: Shakira and Burna Boy
Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira and Nigerian artist Burna Boy performed at Thursday’s World Cup opener at Mexico City Stadium in spectacular fashion.
A giant golden trophy sat center stage as a host of performers and dancers welcomed viewers to Mexico.
Mexican mariachi singer Alejandro Fernández sang Mexico’s national anthem, “Mexicans, at the Cry of War.”
Pop singer Belinda and musical group Los Ángeles Azules performed their song “Por Ella (FIFA World Cup 2026).” Then, Mexican pop-rock band Maná — led by singer Fher Olvera — had the crowd singing along to their 1992 hit “Oye Mi Amor.” Colombian singer J Balvin joined forces with Colombian rapper and singer Ryan Castro performed a few tunes, including the former’s 2018 hit “I Like It.”
Finally, Shakira, clad in a yellow and white ensemble and flanked by a group of dancers, and Burna Boy performed ”Dai Dai,” the official FIFA World Cup 2026 song, for the first time. It was a spirited and vibrant performance that captured the enthusiasm of this year’s World Cup.
Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli was later joined by K-Pop Demon Hunters singer EJAE to perform “DNA,” the official FIFA World Cup anthem for 2026.
Canada: Alessia Cara, Michael Bublé and Alanis Morissette
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 30-day free trial. Terms apply.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 30-day free trial. Terms apply.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
A red-and-white-themed performance kicked off Friday afternoon’s match between Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina — a decidedly more understated ceremony than Thursday’s spectacle.
William Prince paid tribute to Canada‘s Indigenous communities to start the ceremony as people in traditional dress danced and played small drums.
Alessia Cara was next to perform, singing her songs “Wild Things” and “Fire.” Jessie Reyez and Elyanna followed, singing their song “Illuminate.”
Christmas crooner Michael Bublé delivered his performance — a cover of Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home to Me” — with the help of a choir. The group was surrounded by the flags of all 48 nations competing in the World Cup.
Morissette’s rendition of Canada’s National Anthem, “O’Canada” was beautifully done, but nearly drowned out by the thousands of fans at Toronto Stadium.
USA: Katy Perry and Future
Future donned a bedazzled red jersey to perform “Game Time”, his duet with Tyla, at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, in the shadow of a massive replica of the World Cup trophy (taking the American mantra of bigger is better to its logical conclusion) and flanked by dancers clutching gold footballs, with the odd flash of pyrotechnics.
Behind him though, it wasn’t hard to spot a few gaps in the stadium crowd, and you can only imagine that this sparsity didn’t exactly help to amp up the atmosphere.
The rapper was then joined by his collaborator Tyla, dressed in baggy blue trousers and a star-print top, before the focus switched to some fancy footballing footwork from one of the dancers.
Then it was time for BLACKPINK’s LISA, Brazilian star Anitta, and Afrobeats performer Rema to perform the live debut of their track “Goals”, adding a blast of energy to proceedings.
Jason Sudeikis, aka Apple TV’s fictional football manager Ted Lasso, took to the pitch to introduce the flag parade, before it was time for avowed California girl Katy Perry to perform her track “Wonder”, joined by the 10-year-old singer Tius – although some fans on social media seemed disgruntled that she chose not to perform one of her better-known hits.
