2026 World Cup opens with three ceremonies amid empty-seat controversy

Mexico hosted the first ceremony Thursday with Shakira and Burna Boy debuting the official song “Dai Dai” before Mexico beat South Africa 2-0.abcnews
Friday’s ceremonies in Toronto and Los Angeles featured Alanis Morissette, Michael Bublé, Katy Perry, and others as Canada and the U.S. opened play.abcnews
FIFA blamed empty seats at matches on fans watching from concourses, saying attendance figures reflect scanned tickets, not visual seat counts, per the AP.apnews

2026 FIFA World Cup Kicks Off With Star-Studded Opening Ceremonies Across Three Nations

The 2026 FIFA World Cup made history this week as the first tournament to feature opening ceremonies in three separate countries, with performances spanning Mexico City, Toronto, and Los Angeles over two days — though the celebrations were not without controversy as empty seats drew scrutiny.

Mexico City Sets the Stage

The tournament opened on Thursday, June 11, at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, where Shakira and Burna Boy debuted the official World Cup song “Dai Dai” before co-hosts Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0. The lineup also included Alejandro Fernández, J Balvin, Maná, Tyla, and Belinda. Mexican-American actress Salma Hayek delivered the World Cup trophy to the stage before a capacity crowd.abcnews

Toronto and Los Angeles Follow on Day Two

On Friday, June 12, the festivities moved north and west. At BMO Field in Toronto — rebranded as Toronto Stadium for the tournament — Canada’s ceremony featured Alanis Morissette, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, Jessie Reyez, Alessia Cara, and William Prince ahead of Canada’s match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, hundreds of empty seats were visible during the ceremony and match, drawing criticism on social media and raising questions about FIFA’s ticketing strategy. Ticket prices on resale platforms had hovered around 770 Canadian dollars in the weeks before the match.independent

Later Friday evening at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, Lisa, and Rema performed ahead of the United States’ opener against Paraguay. Lisa, Anitta, and Rema performed their World Cup anthem “Goals” during the ceremony. The U.S. ceremony began at 4:30 p.m. local time, 90 minutes before kickoff.abcnews

Empty Seats Cast a Shadow

The empty-seat issue extended beyond Toronto. According to the Associated Press, FIFA blamed visible vacancies during Thursday’s South Korea-Czech Republic match in Guadalajara on “numerous ticket holders observed standing in concourses instead of remaining seated in their assigned locations”. The Athletic reported that FIFA’s official attendance figures reflect scanned tickets rather than visual seat occupancy at any given moment.apnews

The tournament, the first to feature 48 teams, will continue across 16 venues in the three host nations through July 19, when the final takes place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.nbcnews