The US leg of the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off in spectacular fashion on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, and the night’s headline musical moment belonged to three artists who had never performed together before this year. BLACKPINK’s LISA, Brazilian superstar Anitta, and Nigerian Afrobeats star Rema delivered the live debut of “Goals” — and in doing so, LISA became the first Thai artist and the first female K-pop act ever to headline a FIFA World Cup opening ceremony.
FIFA World Cup Opening Ceremony: What Happened At SoFi Stadium
The Los Angeles ceremony was the third of three separate opening celebrations FIFA staged across the tournament’s host nations — Mexico City, Toronto, and Los Angeles — the first time in World Cup history that FIFA has organised individual opening ceremonies for each co-host country.
Future and Tyla opened the Los Angeles show with “Game Time,” the seventh single from the official 2026 FIFA World Cup album, before LISA, Anitta, and Rema took the stage in coordinating white outfits to perform “Goals”.
Katy Perry, Dan + Shay, Andrea Bocelli, and EJAE also featured across the ceremony, with Bocelli and EJAE performing the official FIFA World Cup anthem “DNA”.
The opening match between Mexico and South Africa followed, with the host nation winning 2-0.
FIFA World Cup Song “Goals”: What It Is And Who Made It
“Goals” was released on May 21 as part of the Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Album, produced by Grammy winner Cirkut alongside Bava, PinkSlip, and Brazilian duo Tropkillaz. The track is sung in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, blending Latin pop, K-pop, and Afrobeats; LISA delivers the opening verse, Anitta takes over across all three languages, and Rema rounds it all off with an Afrobeats verse. K-pop, Latin pop, and Afrobeats have driven the largest share of global streaming growth over the past five years, and the three artists between them represent Asia, Latin America, and Africa. “Being a part of the Official FIFA World Cup Album this year has been so exciting,” LISA said in a statement.
What’s Next For Music At The FIFA World Cup 2026
The Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Album has been building toward this moment for months, with previous singles including “Lighter,” “Por Ella,” “Echo,” and “Illuminate” already released. “Dai Dai” by Shakira and Burna Boy is the tournament’s official song. The biggest musical moment is still to come: Madonna, Shakira, and BTS are confirmed to co-headline the first-ever FIFA World Cup final halftime show on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium, in an eleven-minute show curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin and produced by Global Citizen.
