Who is performing at World Cup 2026 opening ceremonies? Date, start time, how to watch in UK

The 2026 World Cup will officially get underway when co-hosts Mexico take on South Africa in Thursday's opener at 8pm BST.

Mexico are sharing the hosting duties with Canada and the USA in what will be the biggest World Cup in the competition's history.

The 48-team tournament will produce 104 games, up from the 64 matches that were played in the final 32-team edition in Qatar three-and-a-half years ago.

Not only will there be more matches, but there will also be more than one opening ceremony, with Mexico, Canada and the USA all set to put on shows ahead of their respective opening games.

Here, Sports Mole covers everything you need to know about each opening ceremony, including performers, date, start time and how to watch in the UK.

When are the World Cup 2026 opening ceremonies?

The first ceremony will take place ahead of Mexico's Group A clash against South Africa, a repeat of the opening match from the 2010 tournament.

Thursday's ceremony is scheduled to take place at 1.30pm in Mexico City, making it a 6.30pm start for UK audiences.

The next ceremony will be in Toronto ahead of Canada's Group B meeting with Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday, June 12.

Like the one in Mexico, the entertainment is scheduled to get underway at 1.30pm local time and 6.30pm BST.

The next show will be in Los Angeles as part of the build-up for the USA's highly-anticipated clash with Paraguay.

The show will start at 4.30pm local time on Friday, but for UK viewers, it will be at the inconvenient time of 12.30am on Saturday, June 13.

How to watch each World Cup opening ceremony in the UK

Viewers from the UK should be able to watch Mexico's opening ceremony on ITV1 and ITVX, with the programme set to start at 6.15pm.

The Canada vs Bosnia and the USA vs Paraguay games will be broadcast on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer.

However, the ceremonies will not be shown on TV and will only be available on iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

Who is performing at the World Cup opening ceremonies?

Two more stars are joining the lineup for the opening ceremony in Mexico City!

Andrea Bocelli and EJAE are ready for the global stage ?
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 10, 2026

Mexico

Global superstars Shakira and Burna Boy are set to headline Thursday's show at the Estadio Azteca with the first live performance of 'Dai Dai', the official World Cup song.

FIFA revealed on Wednesday that legendary tenor Andrea Bocelli and singer-songwriter EJAE will perform the 2026 World Cup anthem 'DNA', which was also recorded with David Guetta and Megan Thee Stallion.

Alejandro Fernandez, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Angeles Azules, Mana and Tyla all complete the lineup for an action-packed night in Mexico City.

Canada

Canadian icon Michael Buble will take centre stage when the spotlight falls on Toronto on Friday evening.

Alanis Morissette and Alessia Cara are among the other feature performers, along with Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream and William Prince.

USA

Just hours after Canada's show, the USA's opening ceremony will take place at the Los Angeles Stadium, where pop sensation Katy Perry will headline a star-studded lineup.

Tyla will make an appearance at her second opening ceremony, just a day after performing in Mexico.

US rapper Future, Brazilian superstar Anitta, Nigerian artist Rema and LISA from K-pop band Blackpink will also perform in LA.