FIFA has officially announced the star-studded lineup for the opening ceremony of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the names on the bill read like a who’s who of global music royalty.
Nigerian Afrobeats powerhouse Divine Ikubor, celebrated worldwide under his stage name Rema, will take center stage at the ceremony in Los Angeles alongside American rapper Future, pop titan Katy Perry, Brazilian singer Anitta, South African breakout star Tyla, and South Korean K-pop phenomenon LISA.
The announcement, made through FIFA’s official Instagram page, sent shockwaves of excitement across the football and music worlds alike, signaling that this World Cup’s off-pitch moments will be every bit as thrilling as the action on the field.
For Rema, the booking represents another stratospheric milestone in what has already been a remarkable global ascent. The Benin City-born artist, who exploded onto international consciousness with his smash hit ‘Calm Down,’ one of the most-streamed African songs in history, continues to cement Afrobeats’ place at the very top table of global popular culture.
His inclusion on a bill of this magnitude is not merely a personal triumph but a powerful statement about the genre’s undeniable worldwide influence.
FIFA was effusive about the ceremony’s significance, describing Los Angeles—a city synonymous with entertainment, celebrity, and cultural dynamism—as the ideal backdrop for a celebration of this ambition.
“The Opening Ceremony in Los Angeles, the world’s entertainment capital, represents the extraordinary scale of what the FIFA World Cup 2026 will become,” the governing body said in its official statement.
The organization was equally emphatic about the deliberate thought behind the artist selections, framing the lineup as a deliberate reflection of America’s multicultural identity. “This lineup of artists reflects the cultural diversity of the United States and the vibrance of its many diasporas,” FIFA stated, adding that the performances would highlight “the nation’s rich influence on music, entertainment, and pop culture while showcasing the power of music to bring people together across the country.”
The lineup, spanning hip-hop, Afrobeats, pop, Brazilian funk, and K-pop, reads as an intentional sweep across the sonic landscape of the modern world, drawing from virtually every corner of the globe. It is, in many respects, a musical mirror of the World Cup itself: a coming together of nations, cultures, and identities beneath a single banner.
Notably, FIFA confirmed that additional artists are still to be announced, hinting that the full ceremony could be even larger in scope than what has already been revealed—a tantalizing prospect for fans planning to be in California for the tournament’s kickoff.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will be the first edition of the tournament to feature 48 nations, making it the largest in the competition’s history.
With an opening ceremony of this caliber taking shape in one of the world’s most iconic cities, the curtain-raiser in Los Angeles looks set to be a spectacle that matches the tournament’s record-breaking ambitions.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
The 2026 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony in Los Angeles is shaping up to be a truly global spectacle, with a lineup headlined by Rema, Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, Tyla, and LISA that mirrors the tournament’s multicultural spirit.
Most notably, Rema’s inclusion is a landmark moment for Afrobeats and African music at large, confirming that the genre is no longer knocking at the door of global mainstream culture; it has walked straight through it.
