▲ The opening ceremony of the 2026 World Cup held at the Mexico City Stadium on June 11 (local time)
The World Cup, the world's greatest football festival, has kicked off with a grand opening.
The opening ceremony of the 2026 World Cup, marking the beginning of the global festival, commenced at around 11:42 a.m. on June 11 (local time) at the Mexico City Stadium.
Mexican football fans, dressed in green representing Mexico, enthusiastically waved their hands and gave thumbs-up signs as celebratory fireworks showered over the pitch.
The opening ceremony featured a diverse range of music, including traditional Mexican sounds, rap, and techno.
Symbolizing "unity," the core message of this tournament, the music seamlessly crossed genre boundaries, captivating the attention of fans worldwide.
Dancers adorned with feathers representing Aztec warriors and performers dressed entirely in golden attire appeared on the pitch.
On the central stage, a golden sphere reminiscent of a football and the sun—a symbol of the Aztec civilization—shone brilliantly under the sunlight.
The performers, bathed in gold, put on a spectacular "tiki-taka" performance, passing golden balls to one another with their hands as if dribbling a football.
Along with a performer's narration, "Football binds us together," celebratory fireworks erupted in succession like launching rockets.
Women in colorful traditional indigenous attire danced to decorate the stage, while the letters "FIFA" floated in the sky before bursting into fireworks in the air, heightening the atmosphere.
The opening ceremony stage featured a star-studded lineup of representative artists from various countries, including Mexican singers Alejandro Fernández, Belinda Peregrín, and Lila Downs, as well as Venezuela's Danny Ocean, Colombia's J Balvin, and South Africa's Tyla.
Before the main event began, hit songs from the 1980s echoed through the stadium, evoking nostalgia for the 1986 Mexico World Cup.
As classic tracks like MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" played, the excitement in the stands reached a fever pitch.
After the opening ceremony concluded, as the Mexican players entered the pitch to warm up for the opening match, the crowd began chanting "Mexico, Mexico" at the top of their lungs.
On the other hand, when the players of South Africa, Mexico's opponent, appeared in the stadium, they were met with loud boos of "boo" from the host nation's fans.
With the spectacular opening performance delivering a message of unity coming to a close, the football war had officially begun.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.