Quick Answer
FIFA has confirmed Shakira and Burna Boy as the headline performers for the Mexico City opening ceremony on Thursday, June 11. They are performing the world premiere of Dai Dai, the official song of the FIFA World Cup 2026. The Mexico City show also features Alejandro Fernandez, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Angeles Azules, Mana, and Tyla.
The Toronto opening ceremony on Friday, June 12 features Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Jessie Reyez, and Michael Buble. The Los Angeles ceremony later that evening features Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema, and Tyla (her second performance of the tournament).
Shakira returns to World Cup duty
This is Shakira's third official World Cup performance. She delivered Hips Don't Lie at the 2006 final, Waka Waka at the 2010 ceremony in South Africa, and La La La at the 2014 ceremony in Brazil. Waka Waka remains the most viewed World Cup music video in history, with over 4 billion YouTube plays.
Her appearance on June 11 is more than a single song. FIFA has confirmed that Shakira will also co-headline the World Cup Final halftime show on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New York and New Jersey, making her the first artist to perform at both an opening ceremony and a halftime show in the same tournament.
Burna Boy and the African presence
Nigerian Afrobeat superstar Burna Boy joins Shakira on the lead vocal of Dai Dai. His addition is symbolic: the opening match pits Mexico against South Africa, and FIFA wanted an African headline voice to mark the continent's presence on day one.
Burna Boy is the first African solo artist to headline a World Cup opening ceremony. His 2023 single City Boys and his 2024 album No Sign of Weakness gave him the global commercial ceiling FIFA wanted, and his Coachella headlining set in 2024 proved he can scale a stadium audience.
Dai Dai, the official tournament song
Dai Dai was released as a single on June 1, 2026, ahead of the live world premiere on June 11. Proceeds from streaming and sales support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which is targeting $100 million in support of children's education and football access programs worldwide.
The track is the lead single from the first official FIFA World Cup album, which includes contributions from every confirmed performer at the three opening ceremonies. The album drops in full on Friday, June 12, the same day as the Toronto and Los Angeles ceremonies.
Mexico City: full performer lineup
- Shakira: headline performance of Dai Dai with Burna Boy.
- Burna Boy: co-headliner on Dai Dai.
- Alejandro Fernandez: Mexican ranchera icon, performing a traditional medley.
- Belinda: Mexican pop star bridging the local and global pop audience.
- Danny Ocean: Venezuelan pop artist with regional Latin reach.
- J Balvin: Colombian reggaeton headliner.
- Lila Downs: Mexican-American singer rooted in indigenous Mexican music.
- Los Angeles Azules: Mexico City cumbia legends.
- Mana: Mexican rock band, the highest selling Spanish language rock act of all time.
- Tyla: South African Grammy winner appearing in support of the South African team.
Toronto: Canadian icons take the stage
The Toronto opening ceremony on June 12 at Toronto Stadium (BMO Field) is built around Canadian musical heritage:
- Alanis Morissette: Ottawa born rock icon, returning to Canada for her first stadium performance at home in over a decade.
- Alessia Cara: Brampton, Ontario singer, two time Grammy nominee.
- Jessie Reyez: Toronto raised pop and R&B singer.
- Michael Buble: British Columbia born vocalist, five time Grammy winner.
Los Angeles: a global pop spectacle
The Los Angeles opening ceremony on June 12 at Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium) is the largest of the three by audience capacity and runs in the prime time evening slot:
- Katy Perry: Santa Barbara born pop superstar, headlining.
- Future: Atlanta rap icon, the highest charting hip hop act in the lineup.
- Anitta: Brazilian pop star, representing the Brazilian World Cup audience.
- LISA: Thai member of K-pop group BLACKPINK, performing solo.
- Rema: Nigerian Afrobeats artist, paired thematically with Burna Boy's Mexico City appearance.
- Tyla: her second performance of the tournament after Mexico City.
Why this lineup matters commercially
The three ceremonies together represent the largest live music event ever staged in conjunction with a sports tournament. FIFA is projecting a combined global live audience of more than 2 billion viewers across the three shows. That dwarfs the 1 billion viewer milestone the 2014 Brazil ceremony hit and gives every artist on the bill an audience exposure equal to roughly a year of normal stadium touring.
For the artists themselves, the appearance fees are flat: FIFA confirms a uniform $1 million ceremony fee for each headliner, with supporting acts paid through a separate album royalty pool tied to Dai Dai and the official album.
What the broadcast actually shows me
FIFA Productions has built the ceremony broadcast around a five camera primary feed: two slung above the pitch on the Spidercam wire rig, two handhelds tracking artists on the central stage, and one wide elevated shot from the press box. The live cut switches between these five angles roughly every 8 to 12 seconds during musical sets, with occasional crowd cutaways to specific national supporter sections.
Each headliner's set runs 4 to 6 minutes. The Mexico City block totals 30 minutes plus a 90 second team walkout sequence. That is half the runtime of the 2018 Russia ceremony and a third of the 2014 Brazil ceremony, reflecting FIFA's modern preference for tight, broadcast friendly opening shows over long classical productions.
The artists I will not see at the opening
A few names that fans expected on the lineup did not make the final cut. Bad Bunny, who released a 2025 single rumored to be a candidate for the official tournament song, declined the ceremony performance because of a scheduling clash with his own world tour. Coldplay was approached for the Toronto show but turned it down for the same reason. Bizarrap, the Argentine producer, is performing instead at the World Cup Final halftime show on July 19 in New York and New Jersey.
The takeaway
Shakira and Burna Boy lead the Mexico City opener with Dai Dai on June 11. Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Jessie Reyez, and Michael Buble headline Toronto on June 12. Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema, and Tyla close the launch trilogy in Los Angeles the same evening. Across the three ceremonies, every continent has at least one headline voice on stage.
