How to watch the World Cup 2026 opening ceremony on TV and live stream
Catch the World Cup 2026 opening ceremonies live on TV and online.
(Photo by Ryan Pierse - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
- Ned Holmes
Published: Thursday, 11 June 2026 at 11:50 am
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Today is the day! World Cup 2026 has finally arrived but before we can get stuck into the football – and there is a lot of it – there is the small matter of the opening festivities.
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This summer's tournament is the first split between three host nations, Canada, Mexico and the United States, who will all have their own opening ceremonies.
Those will come before each of the co-hosts' opening group stage fixtures, using a different theme to explore their national identity and calling on their own roster of performers.
Maná, Katy Perry, and Alanis Morissette are among the acts locked in already for what is no doubt set to be an eye-catching introduction to the tournament.
Mexico are up first at the iconic Estadio Azteca, with the United States in Los Angeles and Canada in
Radio Times brings you all the TV coverage details for the World Cup 2026 opening ceremony.
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How to watch the World Cup 2026 opening ceremony on TV
TV coverage of the World Cup 2026 opening ceremonies will be split between ITV and BBC for UK viewers.
Fans can tune in to watch the opening ceremonies as part of the coverage of each of the host nations' first fixtures.
Mexico's opening ceremony will be shown on ITV 1 ahead of Mexico v South Africa, which kicks off at 8pm on Thursday 11 June.
BBC One will have coverage of the opening ceremonies in Canada ahead of Canada v Bosnia & Herzegovina (8pm kick-off on Friday 12 June) and in the United States, ahead of USA v Paraguay 2am kick-off on Saturday 13 June.
Live stream World Cup 2026 opening ceremony online
UK viewers will be able to tune in to watch the Mexico opening ceremony on ITVX, while coverage of the United States and Canada ceremonies will be available on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
Both streaming services can be accessed on a range of platforms, including laptops, mobiles, tablets and smart TVs.
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Authors
Ned Holmes
Ned is a sports writer at RadioTimes.com. He has covered a host of sports from EFL football, international cricket and golf all the way through to bike polo and triathlon.
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