Shakira, Andrea Bocelli and Salma Hayek kickstart World Cup at opening ceremony
Dancers performed in colourful feathered headdresses. (Getty Images: Hugo Rivera)
Shakira, Maná, Andrea Bocelli and a surprise appearance by Salma Hayek lit up the World Cup opening ceremony ahead of Mexico's 2-0 victory over South Africa on Friday.
Shakira performed Dai Dai, the tournament's official song, with Burna Boy.
- Live updates: All the action from day one of the FIFA World Cup
- Raúl Jiménez: The head injury that almost ended it all for Mexico's 'miracle' man
- Quiz: World Cup more or less
- Over 40s: How Ronaldo and Messi are pushing football's age boundaries
- Tony Popovic: Late Socceroos great drives coach to 'do something extraordinary'
The Colombian star had a hit with Waka Waka (This Time For Africa) from the 2010 World Cup, which coincidentally kicked off with the exact same fixture in South Africa, and now seeks to score again.
A good World Cup song, Shakira earlier told The Associated Press, "needs to definitely have rhythm. It has to be rhythmic. It has to make people want to dance. And it has to be an anthem as well. It has to make people want to sing along in unison, sing out loud at the top of their lungs."
Shakira has performed at previous World Cups, too: 2006 in Germany, 2010 in South Africa, and 2014 in Brazil.
Shakira is a World Cup veteran. (AP: Eduardo Verdugo)
She will also perform at the first half-time show of a World Cup final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey with Madonna and BTS. Mexico, the United States and Canada are co-hosting the 48-team tournament.
Lila Downs welcomed fans and players in Spanish, English, and the Indigenous languages Mixtec and Nahuatl.
"People of the world, welcome to Mexico," said Downs, who wore a white Indigenous huipil with a lilac edge.
"Mexico welcomes you with smiles from our heart, we are a nation of diversity, heritage and pride in ancestral lands where movement and ritual spirit endure."
Downs, who is a singer-songwriter, was born in Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca. Her mother is Mixtec, and her father was American of Scottish descent. But her heart is green, white and red when it comes to the ball.
"It's a great honour for me to represent my beautiful and diverse country," Downs said in an interview with The AP.
"Of course I'm going to root for Mexico's team, Viva Mexico!"
The sound and colour of the World Cup Opening Ceremony. (Getty Images: Tom Weller)
Maná electrified the stadium with Oye Mi Amor, surrounded by pre-Hispanic dancers who moved their head plumes to the rhythm of rock while tens of thousands of fans chanted.
The band, founded in 1986, has sold more than 40 million records.
Mexican cumbia group Los Ángeles Azules performed Por Ella with Belinda, one of the most danceable songs of FIFA's official World Cup album.
The band, founded in the mid-70s by the Mejía Avante brothers, is originally from the district of Iztapalapa, a working-class area of Mexico City, so their battle cry is "From Iztapalapa to the world!"
J Balvin arrived in a cardboard car and wowed fans with brightly-clad dancers. (Getty Images: FIFA/Hector Vivas)
J Balvin had a dynamic performance.
He started driving a cardboard car with Que Calor and then he was accompanied by Ryan Castro for Una A La Vez before ending with I Like It, a hit he originally released with Cardi B and Bad Bunny.
The Colombian star has experience on world stages. In 2020, he participated in the Super Bowl half-time as a guest of Shakira and Jennifer Lopez.
Danny Ocean performed Partidazo — his collaboration for the FIFA album. Ocean was surrounded by dancers wearing a modern take on the traditional dresses of the Mexican state of Jalisco, modified to have hoodies on top.
Danny Ocean was surrounded by dancers on the Azteca pitch. (Getty Images: Carl Recine)
Two Labubus could be seen wearing soccer jerseys after the presentation of Los Ángeles Azules and Belinda. One brown Labubu wore a jersey with the number 10 and the legend "The Monsters" and the other wore a shirt with the logo of the 2026 World Cup.
Actress and producer Salma Hayek, a big football fan, gave a brief welcome speech during the first protocol parade of a World Cup in which the 48 flags of the participating countries could be seen.
"Mexicans are very honoured that this is where the first match of this wonderful soccer tradition that unites us all begins," Hayek, who is originally from the Mexican state of Veracruz, said in Spanish.
"Long live Mexico and long live football!"
Hayek has been appointed an ambassador for the 2026 World Cup.
Andrea Bocelli and EJAE were on stage at the opening ceremony. (Getty Images: picture alliance/Tom Weller)
Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and South Korean star EJAE performed DNA, the tournament's official anthem, with French DJ and producer David Guetta at the flag parade.
Bocelli has just performed for more than 130,000 fans in April at Mexico City's Zócalo and also sang Nessun Dorma at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony at San Siro in February.
EJAE is famous for being the voice of the character Rumi in the film KPop Demon Hunters and for being one of the composers of the Oscar-winning song Golden from the animated film.
Alejandro Fernandez dons a substantial sombrero. (Getty Images: Hector Vivas)
Tyla and Alejandro Fernández were the designated performers for the national anthems of South Africa and Mexico, respectively, before kick-off.
In 2024, Tyla won the first Grammy for best African music performance and, in doing so, became the youngest African artist to win a Grammy.
Fernández's life has been dedicated to regional Mexican music. The so-called Potrillo is the son of the late star Vicente Fernández. On FIFA's album, Fernández performs Mi México Lindo.
AP