Where will the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Cup be held?

VHO - After a four-year wait, the biggest football festival on the planet officially returns with a completely new look. Unlike tradition, the 2026 World Cup sets a historical milestone as the first tournament to feature 48 teams, bringing the total number of matches to 104, and will be co-hosted by three countries: Mexico, Canada, and the United States.

The first opening ceremony will take place at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico.

The unique opening leg of the 2026 World Cup will be launched in Mexico. The Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, with its massive capacity of 83,000 spectators, has been chosen as the starting point.

This legendary and iconic stadium officially made history by hosting the opening match of the world's biggest football tournament for the third time, following the events in 1970 and 1986.

The first opening ceremony of the 2026 World Cup will be held on June 12th, approximately 90 minutes before the match between Mexico and South Africa . Notably, the event will feature performances by Colombian artist J Balvin and South African singer Tyla... to create a strong media buzz.

The wave of enthusiasm continued to spread to Canada the following day (June 13). The second opening ceremony will be held at BMO Field Stadium in Toronto.

The festive atmosphere here promises to be incredibly vibrant with performances by Michael Buble, Alessia Cara , and Alanis Morissette, taking place right before the host team Canada takes on Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This unique trophy parade and opening ceremony will officially conclude at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, USA, just a few hours later. The spectacular stage of the third opening ceremony will feature appearances by American superstar Katy Perry, renowned rapper Future, and other big names. These artists will together create a vibrant atmosphere just before kick-off in the match between the USA and Paraguay.

Mexico vs South Africa will be the opening match of the 2026 World Cup. Photo: FIFA

Besides the unique series of three opening ceremonies, the 2026 World Cup is also considered a revolutionary FIFA World Cup with a landmark change in format. This is the first tournament in history to see an expansion from 32 to 48 participating teams.

The tournament structure has also changed accordingly, with the group stage now consisting of 12 groups, each with four teams competing directly against each other.

The tickets to the knockout round (round of 16) will go to the top two teams in each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams in the tournament.

This change brings the total number of matches to 104, significantly more than the 64 matches in previous World Cups.

This means fans will get to enjoy more matches and see more stars with a packed schedule spanning 38 days, starting on June 12th and culminating in the world championship final on July 20th.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/le-khai-mac-world-cup-2026-to-chuc-o-dau-233811.html