Corinthians midfielder at 2026 World Cup opening | OneFootball

During the afternoon of this Thursday (11), Mexico and South Africa faced off at the Azteca Stadium in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup, and the Mexicans won 2-1, taking the early lead in Group A. Off the field, the match featured a notable presence in the stands: Corinthians midfielder André Carrillo.

On his social media, the 34-year-old player shared a few moments and even ventured into music, singing the song Oye Mi Amor by the Mexican band Maná, which had performed on the pitch before kickoff. Other personalities also took part in the opening ceremony, such as Colombian singer Shakira, fellow Colombian J Balvin, South African singer Tyla, as well as Nigerian artist Burna Boy. Click here to watch the video.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Corinthians Agency

It is worth remembering that André Carrillo had the chance to play in the World Cup, but the Peruvian national team had a poor South American qualifying campaign, finishing second from bottom, and is now planning for the next edition of the world’s biggest international tournament under Mano Menezes.

Corinthians’ No. 19 also made a joke involving archrival Palmeiras. The midfielder was wearing a white (alternate) Mexico shirt and joked that if he wore the Mexicans’ green shirt, Corinthians fans would not like it. On vacation during the break, the club from Parque São Jorge is set to return to training at CT Dr. Joaquim Grava on June 25, according to ge.globo.

Before officially returning to the pitch in the week of July 22 against Remo at Neo Química Arena in the final round of the first half of the Brasileirão, Timão is expected to play a friendly against FC Cascavel in Paraná on July 12. At the moment, Alvinegro sits 10th in the Brazilian Championship and has qualified for the round of 16 of both the Copa do Brasil and the Conmebol Libertadores.

With his contract expiring in December, Carrillo’s future at Corinthians remains undefined. Signed in mid-2024, he was important in the team’s surge in the 2024 Brasileirão (from the relegation zone to the Libertadores qualifiers) and was part of the title-winning squads in the Campeonato Paulista (2025), Copa do Brasil (2025), and Supercopa do Brasil (2026), against Palmeiras, Vasco da Gama, and Flamengo, respectively. Overall, he has three goals and six assists in 96 matches (59 as a starter) for Alvinegro.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.