The 2026 World Cup opening ceremonies will take place this week as the tournament begins in North America.
This year’s World Cup will be the biggest in the tournament’s history, with 48 countries taking part across five weeks.
Around five million fans are expected to travel to North America for the tournament. Some of football’s biggest names, including Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal, are expected to compete.
Argentina will enter the tournament as defending champions. Lionel Messi is also expected to play in what could be his final World Cup at the age of 38.
Unlike previous tournaments, the 2026 World Cup will have three opening ceremonies. This is because the tournament is being hosted by three countries: Mexico, Canada and the United States.
Each host nation will hold its own ceremony before its first match of the tournament.
When Are The World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremonies?
The first opening ceremony will take place on Thursday, June 11, 2026, in Coyoacan, Mexico City, Mexico.
It will be held before the Group A match between Mexico and South Africa, which is also the opening game of the tournament.
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The second opening ceremony will take place on Friday, June 12, 2026, at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada. It will be held before Canada’s match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The third opening ceremony will take place at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, United States. It will begin at 12.30am UK time on Saturday, June 13, 2026, before the United States face Paraguay in Group D.
The tournament will also have a closing ceremony on Sunday, July 19, 2026, on the same day as the World Cup final.
Where Is The First World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony?
The first opening ceremony will take place at the Estadio Azteca in Coyoacan, Mexico City.
The stadium has a capacity of 87,523 and will host the opening match between Mexico and South Africa.
The match will also mark a historic moment for the Estadio Azteca. It will become the first stadium in the world to host three different World Cup opening matches.
The stadium previously hosted opening matches at the 1970 and 1986 World Cups.
How To Watch The World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremonies?
All three World Cup opening ceremonies will be shown on free-to-air TV in the UK.
The ceremonies will be shown by the BBC and ITV/STV as part of the live match build-up. Each ceremony is expected to begin 90 minutes before the host nation’s opening match.
Mexico Opening Ceremony
Date: Thursday, June 11
Start time: 6.30pm
Venue: Estadio Azteca, Coyoacan, Mexico City
TV channel: ITV/STV
Streaming: ITV Player/STV Player
Canada Opening Ceremony
Date: Friday, June 12
Start time: 6.30pm
Venue: BMO Field, Toronto
TV channel: BBC
Streaming: BBC iPlayer or the BBC Sport website
United States Opening Ceremony
Date: Saturday, June 13
Start time: 12.30am
Venue: SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles
TV channel: BBC
Streaming: BBC iPlayer or the BBC Sport website
Who Is Performing At The World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremonies?
The Mexico opening ceremony will be headlined by Shakira and Burna Boy. They will perform the official tournament song, Dai Dai.
Other scheduled performers in Mexico include Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Angeles Azules, Mana and Tyla.
In Canada, Michael Buble will headline the opening ceremony. Alessia Cara, Alanis Morissette, Jessie Reyez, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream and William Prince are also set to perform.
The United States ceremony is expected to include large-scale visuals and “immersive” storytelling performances.
Artists expected to perform in the United States include Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema and Tyla.
