TORONTO: The second opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup 2026 kicked off at the Toronto Stadium on Friday, with Bollywood star Nora Fatehi among the headline performers.
The ceremony began with a tribute to the culture of the aboriginal communities who first inhabited Canada.
Later on, Nora Fatehi, Vegedream, and Sanjoy also lit up the ceremony with their performance. Jessie Reyez and Elyanna are also performing ‘Illuminate’, one of 18 official 2026 World Cup songs.
Nora Fatehi dressed in red and white suit performed her popular FIFA World Cup anthem “Siir Siir” with Sanjoy.
A day earlier, the tournament’s first opening ceremony took place in Mexico City, headlined by Shakira and numerous other international stars.
The highlight of the ceremony was Colombian star Shakira and Burna Boy performing “Dai Dai”, the official song of the tournament, eliciting roars from the crowd.
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J Balvin and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli were among the other performers before kickoff as the noise levels ramped up.
This is the first time three separate opening ceremonies across three host nations have been held on two consecutive days.
The final and most anticipated ceremony will take place at the Sofi Stadium in Inglewood ahead of the USA’s opening clash against Paraguay.
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The lineup includes pop star Katy Perry, global K-pop star LISA, Nigerian Afrobeats artist Rema, Brazilian pop artist Anitta, and hip-hop artist Future.
For the unversed, host Mexico began the 48-team tournament in style with a 2-0 victory over South Africa in the opening match.
Later on, South Korea edged Czech Republic by 2-1 in the second match of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
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