South African Afropop star Tyla has been confirmed as a headline act at the FIFA World Cup 2026 opening ceremonies, with the Water singer booked to perform on consecutive nights in Mexico City and Los Angeles ahead of the tournament’s June kick-off.
FIFA announced the performer lineups for all three of its opening ceremonies this week. Tyla is one of the few acts on the bill set to appear at more than one event, a distinction that underlines how much her profile has shifted since her Grammy win in 2024.
What Tyla is performing and where
On 11 June, Tyla takes the stage at Mexico City’s opening ceremony alongside Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules and Maná.
The following night, she moves to SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles for the US opening ceremony, sharing the bill with Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA and Rema.
The Los Angeles event is expected to carry the most commercial weight of the three. With the United States hosting the final and the majority of the tournament’s high-profile knockout games, the SoFi ceremony functions as the tournament’s true global launch.
The 2026 World Cup is a structural first in tournament history. It is the first edition to feature three host nations, namely Mexico, Canada and the United States, and the first to expand to 48 teams.
FIFA’s decision to run separate opening ceremonies in each host country reflects the scale of what it is trying to pull off, commercially and logistically.
A summer that is building into something bigger
The World Cup bookings are well timed. Tyla appeared at the 2026 Met Gala on 4 May in a custom Valentino gown that generated significant fashion coverage, and her second studio album, A*Pop, is due on 24 July 2026.
The lead single, She Did It Again, featuring Swedish singer Zara Larsson, was released in April.
The album lands six weeks after the World Cup ceremonies, which means Tyla’s summer functions less like a series of separate events and more like a rolling campaign.
The visibility of two opening ceremony performances gives A*Pop a promotional window that money alone cannot buy.
The FIFA World Cup final halftime show will feature Madonna, Shakira and BTS. Tyla is not on the halftime bill, but her placement at the opening ceremonies of the world’s most watched sporting event puts her in a conversation few South African artists have reached.
The Mexico City ceremony takes place on 11 June, followed by Los Angeles on 12 June. A*Pop arrives on 24 July.
