World Cup Fan Zone Chaos
Shakira, Burna Boy Ignite World Cup Opening Amid Mexico City Fan Zone Chaos
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Key Points
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The Estadio Azteca used for the ceremony is an 80,000-capacity venue with a World Cup résumé: it hosted the 1970 and 1986 finals and was renovated for the tournament.
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Beyond Shakira and Burna Boy’s performance of the official song “Dai Dai,” the ceremony also featured other named performers—J Balvin and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli—credited by the report with helping build the crowd’s noise levels.
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In the Zócalo-area fan-zone chaos, a city official used a megaphone to warn: “Stop pushing and shoving, there are children here, you're like animals!” and the local government also posted that the site was “full,” urging fans to go to other plazas.
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Some coverage conflicts on timing: while one report frames the ceremony as occurring ahead of the Mexico vs South Africa opening match, another account says the ceremony took place an hour after that opening match—highlighting a discrepancy in how the sequence is being reported.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off Thursday at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca with a thunderous opening ceremony featuring Shakira and Nigerian star Burna Boy performing the tournament's official anthem, "Dai Dai," before a crowd of over 80,000 fans Olympics.com. The 48-team tournament — the largest in World Cup history — spans the United States, Mexico, and Canada, with the final set for New Jersey on July 19 PBS News.
Mexico then delivered on home soil, beating South Africa 2-0 in the opening match. Julián Quiñones scored first with a clinical nutmeg in the ninth minute, and Fulham striker Raúl Jiménez sealed it Yahoo Sports. South Africa finished with nine men after two red cards.
Shakira, Bocelli, and a Trophy Bigger Than the Stage
The ceremony opened with a massive replica of the World Cup trophy and a pyrotechnic display at the 80,824-capacity Azteca Olympics.com. Shakira — returning for her second World Cup anthem after "Waka Waka" in 2010 — and Burna Boy performed "Dai Dai" at 11:15 AM local time. The word means "come on, give your best" in Italian WIPO Magazine.
J Balvin and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli also performed, with Bocelli's sweeping vocals helping build the crowd's energy to a fever pitch Sunny 106.5. Shakira said the song aims to "urge everyone to give their best." Royalties will go to the Global Citizen Education Fund, though critics call that a hollow gesture given Mexico's ongoing teacher strike WIPO Magazine.
Azteca Makes History as a Three-Time World Cup Host
Estadio Azteca became the first stadium ever to host three World Cup opening ceremonies — 1970, 1986, and now 2026 Sports Business Journal. The venue underwent a $200 million renovation funded partly through a naming rights deal with Mexican bank Banorte. The upgrades modernized VIP areas and lighting systems.
Resale tickets for the opener ranged from $2,800 to $17,000 on the secondary market Diario AS. The Mexican government spent roughly $3 billion on tournament infrastructure across the country The Guardian. Coach Javier Aguirre called the roar of "80,824 home supporters" a key factor behind the team's opening win Indian Express.
Teacher Protests Turn Mexico City's Fan Zone Into a Crush
While the stadium celebrated, thousands of fans trying to reach the official Zócalo fan zone faced dangerous crowding. Metal barriers put up to contain striking teachers from the CNTE union blocked normal entry routes The Guardian. Police were pelted with water bottles as crowds surged toward checkpoints Ground News.
A city official screamed through a megaphone: "Stop pushing and shoving, there are children here, you're like animals!" The local government later posted that the site was "full" and told fans to go to other plazas AP. President Claudia Sheinbaum had been expected to attend but cast doubt on her appearance amid the unrest PBS News.
Disappeared Families and Striking Teachers Demand to Be Seen
The protests go deeper than traffic disruption. CNTE union leader Filiberto Frausto declared that workers' rights are "far more important than a little bit of distraction and fun," warning that "this event will have to be suspended" The Guardian. The strike centers on reversing 20-year-old pension laws and securing wage increases. Over 1,000 relatives of Mexico's 134,000 "disappeared" persons marched on the stadium the night before kickoff PBS News.
Political analyst Carlos Pérez Ricart warned that the World Cup has put President Sheinbaum in a "vulnerable situation" — trying to project a modern Mexico to the world while tear gas drifted through the historic center PBS News. Business owners near the Zócalo said teacher blockades actually reduced foot traffic, cutting into the tourist boom they had counted on AP.
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