Gianni Infantino Sets 2026 Sbs World Cup Opening Across Three Countries
The sbs world cup will open with ceremonies across Mexico, Canada and the United States before the first matches kick off. FIFA will launch the 2026 tournament in three host countries at once for the first time, turning the start of the event into a shared production across 16 host cities.
Infantino opens the World Cup
Gianni Infantino said, "The FIFA World Cup is a moment the world shares, and that begins with how we open it," and called it the "greatest show on Earth." The tournament will run from Thursday, June 11, to Sunday, July 19, with 104 matches on the schedule.
Each opening ceremony will begin 90 minutes before the host nation’s opening match. FIFA said the opening ceremony will last roughly 90 minutes, while the matchday protocol ceremonies that include player walkouts and official introductions will begin 25 minutes before kickoff and are expected to last about 13 minutes.
Mexico City, Toronto and Los Angeles
The Mexico City ceremony is expected to run for about 16 minutes and 30 seconds. The shows in Toronto and Los Angeles are scheduled to last approximately 13 minutes each, with the production handled by Marco Balich.
Balich described the U.S. visual style as "a super shiny, glowing cup," while Canada will be represented through a cultural mosaic and Mexico through papel picado. The opening ceremony will feature J Balvin, Tyla, Maná, Belinda, Alejandro Fernández, Lila Downs and Los Ángeles Azules.
Canada and Mexico first
Mexico will face South Africa in the first match after the Mexico City ceremony, and Canada will play Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto. That Toronto match will be the Canadian Men’s National Team’s first World Cup match played on home soil, giving the host’s opening night an immediate edge beyond the pageantry.
The tournament’s scale is already fixed: 16 host cities, 104 matches and three host countries opening the same World Cup at the same time. For fans, the ceremonies arrive as the first hard marker of a month-long event that starts in Mexico on June 11 and finishes in New York on July 19.
