FIFA World Cup opens in Mexico City with star-studded ceremony at Azteca

Opening night in Mexico City

Mexico City opened the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 11 with a ceremony at Azteca Stadium that blended music, local culture and tournament pageantry before the first match of the expanded event.

Associated Press coverage described the ceremony as star-studded, with Shakira and Burna Boy among the headline performers. Other reporting also identified J Balvin, Alejandro Fernández, Belinda and Tyla as part of the opening celebrations.

The matchday crowd was large enough to underline the scale of the moment. AP said the revamped stadium drew more than 80,000 fans, while its match report put attendance at 80,824.

The opening night was meant to showcase Mexico City as both a football host and a cultural stage. The ceremony framed the tournament launch around the city’s identity as much as the sport itself.

Ceremony before kickoff

The opening ceremony came first, followed by Mexico’s Group A opener against South Africa. That gave the celebration an immediate sporting payoff rather than leaving it as a standalone pregame spectacle.

Mexico went on to beat South Africa 2-0 in the tournament’s first match. AP’s match report said the result came in front of 80,824 fans at Azteca.

The opener also gave the tournament its first competitive result after days of buildup around Mexico City. Earlier AP coverage on June 10 had previewed Mexico’s role as the host of the opening game, and later reports on June 11 documented the metro preparations and the stadium celebration.

Azteca’s World Cup history

Azteca Stadium carries unusual World Cup history. It also hosted tournament openers in 1970 and 1986, making Thursday’s kickoff another landmark for one of football’s most recognized venues.

That history helped give the ceremony extra weight. Mexico’s opening night was not only the first match of the 2026 tournament, but also a return to a stadium already tied to previous World Cup opening moments.

The event came as the World Cup entered a new format. This is the first edition expanded to 48 teams, and it is being co-hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada.

Mexico’s turn in the spotlight came first in the tournament sequence. Canada and the United States are scheduled to play their opening matches on June 12.

What comes next

The first day’s attention now shifts to reactions from the ceremony and the match, along with the rest of Group A and the other opening-day games.

Coverage of the tournament’s rollout will continue across the three host countries as the opening sequence moves from Mexico City to the United States and Canada.