Shakira and Burna Boy to headline first World Cup opening ceremony in Mexico City | OneFootball

Shakira and Burna Boy are poised to headline the first World Cup opening ceremony next week in Mexico City, performing the official tournament song, Dai Dai.

The musical duo will take to the stage ahead of Thursday's opening match between co-hosts Mexico and South Africa.

Fifa, the global football organisation, has scheduled three distinct opening events across the host nations, with further celebrations planned for the United States and Canada.

For the Mexico City spectacle, additional performers include Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, Maná, and Tyla.

Michael Buble will perform at the opening ceremony in Canada (Reuters)

Toronto will host Alanis Morissette and Michael Bublé on 12 June, preceding the Canada versus Bosnia and Herzegovina fixture in Toronto.

Later that same day, Los Angeles will see performances from Katy Perry, global pop star LISA, Nigerian Afrobeats sensation Rema, Brazilian artist Anitta, and hip-hop star Future, before the US takes on Paraguay.

These three elaborate productions are being orchestrated by Italian producer Marco Balich, renowned for his work on this year’s Milan Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony.

Each show is scheduled to commence approximately 90 minutes before kick-off. Shakira is also slated to perform at a Super Bowl-style half-time show for the World Cup final, alongside Madonna and K-pop group BTS.

The tournament's opening ceremonies have a history of memorable moments, including Diana Ross's famous missed penalty during the 1994 World Cup in Chicago.

The official song, Dai Dai, carries a significant purpose, aiming to raise $100 million for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.

The World Cup is now less than a week away, with all 48 nations finishing their preparations for the global event.

England will have two warm-up friendlies against New Zealand on 6 June and Costa Rica on 10 June, before playing their first World Cup match against Croatia on 17 June.

Thomas Tuchel’s team will then play Ghana on 23 June and Panama on 27 June.

The Three Lions have failed to win the World Cup since 1966, but will be hoping to end 60 years of hurt after reaching the last two European Championship finals before losing to Italy and Spain, respectively.