Global music superstar Shakira will headline the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Mexico City, FIFA announced on Friday, with the Colombian singer set to perform the tournament’s official song, “Dai Dai.”

The opening ceremony will take place at Estadio Azteca on Thursday, 90 minutes before the opening match between Mexico and South Africa.

Shakira will be joined on stage by Nigerian Afrobeats star Burna Boy, one of the featured artists on “Dai Dai,” the official anthem of the tournament. The title is derived from an Italian phrase meaning “let’s go” or “come on,” capturing the spirit and excitement of football’s biggest event.

The star-studded show will also feature performances from fellow Colombian artist J Balvin and South African sensation Tyla, underscoring FIFA’s effort to showcase musical talent from across the globe.

The announcement adds another milestone to Shakira’s long association with the FIFA World Cup. The singer famously performed the 2010 World Cup anthem “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” which became one of the most successful football songs of all time.

FIFA also confirmed that Shakira will feature prominently later in the tournament, having been selected to perform at the first-ever FIFA World Cup final halftime show. The historic event is scheduled to take place at MetLife Stadium, marking a new entertainme26,nt dimension for the world’s biggest sporting event.

The FIFA World Cup 20 jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, will be the largest edition of the tournament, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches. Organisers expect the opening ceremony to set the tone for a month-long celebration of football, music and culture across North America.

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Soccer fans looking to bring the party to World Cup games will have to go without vuvuzelas, ​with FIFA banning the plastic horns from venues ‌in the U.S., Canada and Mexico in its stadium code of conduct.

Vuvuzelas, a horn made with a long plastic shell, ​are a staple of South African soccer matches ​and took the world by storm at the ⁠2010 World Cup in South Africa. But they have ​drawn criticism over their monotonous droning sound, often likened ​to a swarm of bees

Along with vuvuzelas, whistles, air horns and other excessively loud noise-making devices are prohibited from all 16 World ​Cup venues, according to FIFA’s stadium code of ​conduct.

Instruments that emit laser beams, laser pointers or similar emissions are ‌also banned.

The list of prohibited items and behaviours goes on to state that body paint and body tattoos do not constitute clothing. Streaking, flashing or removing clothing to ​reveal intimate ​body parts is ⁠also prohibited.

FIFA has also banned spectators from bringing reusable water bottles into venues, citing ​safety concerns.

Attendees who violate the rules can be ​refused ⁠entry or removed from the stadium, the code says.

The expanded 48-team World Cup, hosted by the U.S., Canada and ⁠Mexico, ​runs from June 11 to ​July 19. Mexico will open the tournament against South Africa on June ​11.

-Reuters

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France brushed aside concerns after suffering a surprise 2-1 defeat by Côte d’Ivoire in a World Cup warm-up match on Thursday, insisting the setback would serve ​as a useful reminder rather than a cause for alarm ahead of ‌the tournament.

Didier Deschamps’ side led through a superb first-half goal from Rayan Cherki but were overrun after the break as Guela Doue and Amad Diallo turned the game around for the Elephants in ​Nantes.

With France opening their World Cup campaign against Senegal in New York on ​June 16, midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni said the result should be viewed in ⁠the context of preparations rather than as a warning sign.

“It’s a pity to lose ​but we’re in a preparation phase; we stay confident,” Tchouameni said.

“There is no conclusion to ​draw from this game, even if we had won it. We will be ready.”

France fielded an experimental side, with several Paris Saint-Germain players rested after last weekend’s Champions League final triumph, and ​made numerous changes after halftime.

Defender Lucas Hernandez also played down the significance of the ​defeat.

“We always want to win, but we’re in a phase of preparation, and there were a lot ‌of substitutions,” Hernandez said.

“We’re in good spirits.”

Deschamps, however, admitted his side had lost control of the contest after an encouraging opening 45 minutes and warned that France would face opponents with similar qualities in the United States.

“A defeat is never pleasant, even if we did ​some good things in ​the first half,” ⁠Deschamps said.

“In the second half, we made a lot of changes, but that’s no excuse. We were not as good after the ​break, and they brought a lot of pace.

“We will face the ​same type ⁠of team on June 16.”

The French coach said the result could prove useful if it prevented his players from becoming complacent before the tournament.

“It’s a reminder, if we needed one, ⁠not to ​think we’re better than we are,” he said, with ​Cherki adding: “It’s a little warning, and I can tell you we’re not going to the World Cup thinking ​we’re favourites, but we’re going to crush everyone.”

-Reuters

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