Shakira returns to football’s biggest stage
For football fans, the biggest talking point was Shakira’s return to the World Cup stage.
The Colombian superstar, whose 2010 hit Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) became one of the most recognisable World Cup songs of all time, performed the tournament anthem Dai Dai alongside Burna Boy.
The performance marked another World Cup moment for Shakira, whose music has long been associated with football’s biggest tournament.
Burna Boy joins the World Cup party
Joining Shakira was Nigerian Grammy winner Burna Boy, one of Africa’s biggest music exports.
Together, the pair delivered Dai Dai to a packed Estadio Azteca, bringing together Latin and African musical influences on one of the world’s biggest sporting stages.
Mexican culture takes centre stage
The atmosphere inside the 80,000-capacity stadium was electric as fans dressed in Mexico’s green jerseys and mariachi-inspired outfits welcomed the start of the month-long competition.
The ceremony paid tribute to Mexico’s heritage, with performers in colourful costumes filling the pitch in a celebration of Aztec culture.
Mexican singer-songwriter Lila Downs welcomed fans from around the world in both Spanish and English.
“People of the world, welcome to Mexico!” she told the crowd.
J Balvin gets the crowd moving
Several artists from across Latin America took turns entertaining fans before kickoff.
Venezuelan singer Danny Ocean performed Partidazo, while Mexican pop star Belinda teamed up with Los Ángeles Azules for a performance of Por Ella, a song featured on the World Cup album.
Colombian hitmaker J Balvin then took centre stage alongside Ryan Castro. The duo performed a medley of hits, including Una A La Vez, before Balvin wrapped up his set with I Like It, his global smash with Cardi B and Bad Bunny.
Salma Hayek welcomes the world
Hollywood star Salma Hayek Pinault made one of the evening’s most notable appearances as a World Cup ambassador.
Addressing the crowd, she welcomed the 48 nations competing in the expanded tournament.
“In this stadium, along with Canada and the United States, we welcome the 48 flags,” she said.
“Us Mexicans are very honoured to be here, where the World Cup begins.”
Her speech was followed by a parade of flags representing all participating nations.
Andrea Bocelli and Tyla add emotional moments
The ceremony also featured a performance of DNA, the official FIFA World Cup 2026 anthem, by legendary Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and South Korean-American singer EJAE.
South African star Tyla delivered the South African national anthem ahead of the opening match, while Mexican music icon Alejandro Fernández performed Mexico’s national anthem.
Then it was time for football
As clouds of red and green smoke filled the sky above Estadio Azteca, the focus finally shifted from music and celebrity appearances to the action on the pitch.
But before a single goal was scored, World Cup 2026 had already delivered a memorable opening act, bringing together some of the biggest names in music, film and entertainment for football’s grandest stage.
Manjusha Radhakrishnan has been slaying entertainment news and celebrity interviews in Dubai for 18 years—and she’s just getting started. As Entertainment Editor, she covers Bollywood movie reviews, Hollywood scoops, Pakistani dramas, and world cinema.
Red carpets? She’s walked them all—Europe, North America, Macau—covering IIFA (Bollywood Oscars) and Zee Cine Awards like a pro. She’s been on celebrity.land with Becky Anderson dropping Bollywood truth bombs like Salman Khan Black Buck hunting conviction and hosted panels with directors like Bollywood’s Kabir Khan and Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh. She has also covered film festivals around the globe.
Oh, and did we mention she landed the cover of Xpedition Magazine as one of the UAE’s 50 most influential icons?
She was also the resident Bollywood guru on Dubai TV’s Insider Arabia and Saudi TV, where she dishes out the latest scoop and celebrity news. Her interview roster reads like a dream guest list—Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Shah Rukh Khan, Robbie Williams, Sean Penn, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Joaquin Phoenix, and Morgan Freeman.
From breaking celeb news to making stars spill secrets, Manjusha doesn’t just cover entertainment—she owns it while looking like a star herself.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source gulfnews.com ’
