The 2026 World Cup kicked off in Mexico City with a colourful opening ceremony featuring a performance by Shakira, and a dramatic first match that saw three red cards in Mexico's 2-0 win over South Africa. The tournament, co-hosted by the United States and Canada, began at the legendary Azteca stadium on 11 June 2026, with thousands of fans eager to see their team on home soil for the first time in 40 years.
The opening ceremony was a star-studded affair, with Shakira performing the official World Cup song 'Dai Dai' alongside Colombian star J Balvin, Afrobeats artist Burna Boy, Latin music star Danny Ocean and Fher Olvera. The ceremony also featured Andrea Bocelli and K-Pop Demon Hunters singer Ejae performing the tournament's official anthem 'DNA', which had been released two days earlier. Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández sang the national anthem. Performers wore indigenous clothing and golden outfits, carrying giant golden footballs. The crowd of around 80,000 fans, many dressed in Mexico's green colours, created a vibrant atmosphere. South Africa's national anthem was sung by Grammy-winning star Tyla, who was also due to perform at the US opening ceremony in Los Angeles on Friday alongside Katy Perry, Future, Lisa and Anitta.
“Explaining the 2026 World Cup opening ceremony and dramatic first match in Mexico.”
The opening match itself lived up to the hype. Mexico took an early lead through Julian Quinones, who scored the fastest goal in a World Cup opener in twenty years. Raul Jimenez, the Wolves forward, headed in a second goal just after the hour mark to make the game safe. South Africa finished with nine men after Yaya Sithole was sent off early in the second half and Themba Zwane received a red card following a VAR review for an off-the-ball incident. Mexico also had a player sent off in stoppage time, when Cesar Montes was shown a red card. The three red cards made this an unusually eventful opening game. The result was a far cry from 16 years earlier, when the same two teams opened the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg and played out a 1-1 draw, with Mexico's Rafael Marquez cancelling out Siphiwe Tshabalala's iconic goal.
For UK readers, the World Cup is now underway and England fans will be watching closely. The 2026 tournament is unique in being shared across three host nations, and the early signs are that home advantage could be significant: if Mexico top their group, they would play their Round of 32 and Round of 16 matches in the capital city, benefiting from the same fervent support seen on opening night. England's own campaign begins later in the tournament, with the team having prepared meticulously for the challenge.
Q: Who performed at the opening ceremony? Shakira, J Balvin, Burna Boy, Danny Ocean, Fher Olvera, Andrea Bocelli, Ejae (of K-Pop Demon Hunters), Alejandro Fernández and Tyla all performed. Shakira sang the official World Cup song 'Dai Dai' and Bocelli and Ejae performed the anthem 'DNA'.
Q: What was the result of the opening match? Mexico beat South Africa 2-0, with goals from Julian Quinones (the fastest opener in 20 years) and Raul Jimenez. South Africa finished with nine men after two red cards, and Mexico also had a player sent off.
Q: How many red cards were shown and why? Three red cards were shown: Yaya Sithole and Themba Zwane of South Africa, and Cesar Montes of Mexico. Zwane's red card came after a VAR review for an off-the-ball incident. The match was the first World Cup opener to feature a red card since 1994.
With the opening ceremony and first match complete, attention now turns to the other two co-hosts. The United States will hold their own opening ceremony on Friday in Los Angeles, and Canada will follow. The tournament continues with more group stage matches, and Mexico will look to build on their winning start. England's first match is still to come, and the team's performance in the tournament will be closely followed by fans back home.