The first World Cup held in three countries also brought a particularity: three opening ceremonies, one at the Azteca Stadium, in Mexico; another in Toronto, Canada and a third in Los Angeles, in the United States. The last two take place this Friday (12). The ceremony in Mexico City took place this Thursday (11), starting precisely at 11:30 am, under a temperature of 24 degrees. More than 85 thousand people attended the ceremony at the gigantic Azteca Stadium – renamed Banorte Stadium – which had already hosted the opening ceremonies of the 1970 and 1986 World Cups. Related news: Government defines opening hours for Brazil's World Cup games. Climate of fear and high prices keep fans away from the World Cup in the USA. Dancers dressed as indigenous people, representing the ancient Aztec, Mayan, Olmec and Toltec civilizations, under a light blue carpet that covered the lawn, danced around a giant replica of the FIFA World Cup cup. It was as if people from other Mexican generations worshiped the valuable trophy. When Mexican singer Lila Downs climbed the staircase that gave access to the replica of the cup, in the center of the pitch, and declared in English: "football unites all", then translating into Spanish, "fútbol une nos todos".  The opening in Mexico takes place in the context of a World Cup marked by events such as the deportation of a Somali referee, long immigration interrogation of an Iraqi player, restrictions on hosting the Iranian delegation and denial of visas for tourists who would go to see the World Cup in the United States.           See this photo on Instagram                       A post shared by TV Brasil (@tvbrasil) Latin music Then, the stadium became the stage for several successive musical performances, always praising Latin music. The presentation started with the Mexican band Maná. Afterwards, the Venezuelan Danny Ocean and the Spanish Belinda passed by, performing a song with the veterans of the band Los Ángeles Azules, one of the pillars of Latin American music. The entrance of Colombian singer J. Balvin, one of the best-selling Latin artists in the world, took place in a different way, in a scenic car. Until Colombian pop star Shakira appeared on the blue carpet of the Azteca stadium, with several dancers and the participation of Nigerian Burna Boy. Together they sang the World Cup theme song, Dai Dai, an attempt to once again achieve the resounding success of Waka Waka, the theme song for the 2010 South African World Cup.   Soon, green and red smoke filled the stadium. The blue carpet was removed and a globe appeared in the central circle of the lawn. Several flag bearers then entered, representing the 45 teams competing in the World Cup, ending with the entry of the banners of the three host countries. The highlight was the performance by Italian Andrea Bocelli, performing a duet with Korean singer EJAE. As the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, had already said since May that she would not attend the opening ceremony, as a show of solidarity with Mexicans who are unable to pay for tickets to the event, it was up to FIFA president Gianni Infantino to declare the World Cup open alongside Mexican actress Salma Hayek, nominated for an Oscar for the film Frida. Mexico and South Africa  When the Mexican and South African teams entered the field, the national anthems were performed by singers from these two nationalities.  South African pop star Tyla, Grammy winner in 2024 and 2026, sang the anthem of the Africans. While the Mexican Alejandro Fernández, “El Potrillo”, a popular singer of boleros and ranchera music, performed the verses of the anthem, a military march that says that every son of Mexican soil is “a soldier” ready to defend the Homeland in a war. The public's ovation was instantaneous and automatic, in a moment of great emotion. Soon after, the opening game began, refereed by Brazilian Wilton Pereira Sampaio. Teams from Mexico and South Africa opened the 2026 World Cup - REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/ Reproduction prohibited