The wait is almost over. On Thursday, June 11, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will officially kick off, a historic tournament that will be hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada and will feature 48 teams for the first time.
The opening match will pit Mexico against South Africa at the Mexico City Stadium, a venue that will make history by becoming the first stadium in the world to host three FIFA men’s World Cup opening matches.
Official inauguration schedule
FIFA and the Organizing Committee have confirmed that the gates of the Mexico City Stadium will open at 9:00 am.
This will be followed by the opening ceremony and finally the match between Mexico and South Africa.
Official program in Mexico (Central Time)
9:00 a.m. – Doors open.
11:00 a.m. – It is recommended that all attendees be in their seats.
11:30 a.m. – Opening ceremony begins.
12:05 p.m. – Conclusion of the show.
12:10 p.m. – Warm-up of the teams.
1:00 p.m. – Kickoff of the Mexico vs. South Africa match.
U.S. schedules
Since millions of Mexicans and Hispanics will be following the event from the United States, these are the equivalent schedules:
Event East (ET) Central (CT) Mountain (MT) Pacific (PT)
Inaugural Ceremony 1:30 p.m. 12:30 p.m. 11:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m.
Mexico vs. South Africa 3:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. 12:00 p.m.
The ceremony schedules for the United States have been confirmed by media with official information on the event (Filed as: World Cup 2026 inauguration schedule Mexico).
It will be an unforgettable event
QuéOnnda.com
Artists confirmed for the ceremony
The opening ceremony will feature a musical show that will bring together renowned figures of Latin and international music.
Among the artists announced are:
Los Ángeles Azules
Maná
Alejandro Fernández
Belinda
J Balvin
Danny Ocean
Lila Downs
Tyla
FIFA has indicated that the show will combine music, culture and elements representative of Mexico.
This to welcome the biggest tournament in the history of World Cups (Filed under: World Cup 2026 inauguration schedule Mexico).
A historic World Cup for Mexico
The 2026 World Cup will be played from June 11 to July 19 and will feature 104 matches spread across three host countries.
Mexico will have the privilege of opening the tournament against South Africa, reliving the same match that opened the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
For Hispanic fans living in the United States, Thursday, June 11 will be a date marked on the calendar.
The ceremony will begin at 1:30 p.m. on the East Coast and the ball will roll at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Mexico and South Africa will officially kick off the 2026 World Cup (Filed under: World Cup 2026 inauguration schedule Mexico).
For more information, visit QuéOnnda.com.
