The Part That Changes The Math
MILAN (AP) — The Italian producer behind the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony has been tapped to create three star-studded shows across the three host nations for the 2026 World Cup, with teams numbering 260 to 300 people in each city.
Marco Balich, who also produced the opening ceremony for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, said the unifying theme will be "the celebration of sports, the passion for soccer, symbolized by the cup itself." Each ceremony will feature a distinct cultural design: a multicultural mosaic in Canada, traditional papel picado paper cutouts in Mexico, and "a super shiny, glowing cup" in the United States.
The scoreboard made the point with less ceremony than everyone around it.
The ceremonies will combine welcoming speeches, a parade of flags, the presentation of the match ball and about 30 minutes of musical entertainment. Each will begin roughly 90 minutes before game time, following a 25-minute player warm-up that organizers hope will prompt spectators to arrive early.
The Detail Worth Keeping
Balich called it a "very good sign" that the three nations are working together to host "a peaceful World Cup." The scale of producing three shows in three cities is considerable, even for a veteran of two major opening ceremonies in the same year.
The festivities launch June 11 in Mexico City, ahead of the Mexico City-South Africa match, featuring Latin rock band Maná, Colombian singer J Balvin and South African pop star Tyla. They continue June 12 in Toronto ahead of the Canada-Bosnia and Herzegovina game, with Alanis Morissette and Michael Bublé headlining, before arriving at Los Angeles Stadium later that day for the U.S.-Paraguay opener.
International stars taking the stage in Los Angeles include Katy Perry, global pop star LISA, Nigerian Afrobeats star Rema, Brazilian pop artist Anitta, and hip-hop artist Future.
Where It Goes From Here
Balich, founder of Balich Wonder Studios, said spectators shouldn't expect a Super Bowl-style halftime extravaganza. "It's a celebration of football, FIFA and the fact that, thanks to soccer, people get together in peace and harmony," he said.
Italy, which will miss its third straight World Cup, is nonetheless overseeing both of the year's biggest sports ceremonies — the 2026 Winter Games and the World Cup. "It is very encouraging, actually, to compensate the sad news that Italy is not there this time," Balich said, adding that Italy's absence "has also enabled us to be very impartial" in celebrating each country "in a similar way."