As Shakira's performance comes to an end, smoke bombs are unleashed into the Mexico City air. Red, white and green smoke engulfs the air, signifying the colours of the Mexican flag. The opening ceremony has got the spectacle underway; now, it's time for the football!

Shakira is here! 'Dai Dai', the official song for the FIFA World Cup 2026 is now on at the opening ceremony. Nigerian singer Burna Boy is alongside Shakira, for the most blockbuster performance of the day. 

A number of glittering performances to kickstart the World Cup 2026 opening ceremony. A group of dancers on the field, dancing along to the songs on stage. A huge replica of the World Cup trophy is also at the centre of the pitch. Shakira is expected to enter shortly.

The opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup 2026 is underway at the Mexico City Stadium! We are having a special performance to begin with. Shakira is likely to take centre stage in a short while. Here we go, folks. World Cup fever is upon us.

An expanded FIFA World Cup takes place in 2026, with a record 48 teams taking part, up from the 32 in 2022. This time, the knockouts will begin with the Round of 32. Therefore, the top two nations from each group and the eight best third-placed nations will qualify for the knockouts. 

Here's a little titbit: if Messi's Argentina and Ronaldo's Portugal both finish first in their groups and win their first two knockout games, they'll face off in the quarter-finals!

The FIFA World Cup 2026 will likely be the last dance at the biggest stage for two of football's greatest icons, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi ended his long wait for World Cup glory in 2022, leading Argentina to the trophy. Will 2026 be Ronaldo's lucky year? Now 41 years old, Ronaldo will be playing his sixth World Cup, captaining a very strong Portugal squad.

Players of both teams — South Africa and Mexico — have arrived at the venue. We are just minutes away from the start of the opening ceremony for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Don’t go anywhere, folks. Stay connected!

Somali referee Omar Artan, who was barred by the United States from the FIFA World Cup 2026, was picked on Thursday for the showcase UEFA Super Cup game in August. European soccer body UEFA said Artan will referee the August 12 game between Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa, the Europa League winner.

For Mexico, talismanic striker Raul Jimenez, midfielder Orbelin Pineda, captain Edson Alvarez and heroic goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa will be the ones to watch out for. Ochoa is set to appear in his sixth FIFA World Cup in 2026. 

As for South Africa, goalkeeper and captain Ronwen Williams, striker Lyle Foster and attacking midfielder Themba 'Mshishi' Zwane will be key.

South Africa have never qualified to the knockout stage of a FIFA World Cup. 'Bafana Bafana' came very close in both the 2002 and 2010 editions, but narrowly missed out. This time, though, they will fancy their chances. With the World Cup expanded to 48 teams, the knockout stage will now begin with the Round of 32. This means that not just the top two of each group, but also the eight best third-placed teams will qualify.

With Mexico, Czechia and South Korea in Group A, it is certainly not an impossible task for South Africa.

One can argue that Mexico have the best chance of going the farthest among the three co-hosts of FIFA World Cup 2026. From 1994 to 2018, they reached the knockout stage of the World Cup on every single instance. However, that streak ended in 2022, when they bowed out in the group stage. 

Yet, they have a good mix of youth and experience heading into the 2026 edition, and could be one of the surprise packages of the tournament.

The opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup 2026 is scheduled to start at 11:00 PM IST (11:30 AM local time). We are just over one hour away from that. But the hype has already begun! 

Shakira and Burna Boy will be the headline attraction as they perform 'Dai Dai', the official song for the FIFA World Cup 2026. However, a number of other stars will perform in the opening ceremony. This includes Alejandro Fernandez, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Angeles Azules, Mana, and Tyla.

While there's hype over the start of the World Cup, millions are also looking forward to see Shakira in the opening ceremony of FIFA World Cup 2026. Over the years, Shakira has grown into one of the icons of the FIFA World Cup, and she'll take centre stage once again tonight to perform 'Dai Dai', the official song for the World Cup 2026.

It will be her fourth performance at a World Cup, and second in an opening ceremony of the tournament.

What is wonderful about today's match is that it is a repeat of the opening game of the 2010 World Cup, held in South Africa. On that historic night in Johannesburg, South Africa and Mexico faced off in the World Cup opener. And in a fitting reversal, they will face off in the opener again, this time with Mexico as the hosts.

The greatest spectacle on earth, the FIFA World Cup 2026, begins tonight! And it's set to be the grandest ever, with a record 48 teams taking part for the first time ever. We kick off today as co-hosts Mexico take on South Africa in the opening match of the tournament, at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. But before that a blockbuster opening ceremony, headlined by none other than Shakira!

Stay tuned to NDTV Sports for all the live updates from the opening ceremony and the first game of the World Cup.