Nora Fatehi Performs Official FIFA Anthem as World Cup 2026 Opens Across North America

The FIFA World Cup 2026 continued its opening celebrations in Canada with a star-studded ceremony at Toronto’s BMO Field, where singer, actor and dancer Nora Fatehi performed the tournament anthem Siir Siir ahead of Canada’s Group B match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The event marked Canada’s first opportunity to host World Cup action on home soil and featured a line-up that blended international and Canadian talent. Alongside Fatehi, performers included Vegedream, Sanjoy, Jessie Reyez, Alessia Cara and Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna.

Nora Fatehi takes centre stage

Fatehi emerged as one of the ceremony’s most prominent attractions, performing Siir Siir, an official FIFA World Cup 2026 song created with Vegedream and Sanjoy. The track draws its title from a popular Moroccan football chant meaning “go, go” and combines Moroccan Darija, Arabic, French and English.

Born in Toronto to a Moroccan family before building a successful career in India, Fatehi described the project as an opportunity to celebrate unity and multiculturalism through music.

Speaking about the song, she said she hopes it can become a global rallying call for football fans. “This is the time where we see everyone from across the world, different countries that qualify, come and take centre stage,” Fatehi said. “This is the time that we celebrate talent — and music and football really do come hand in hand.”

The performance also carried personal significance for the artist, who left Canada at the age of 22 to pursue a career in the Indian entertainment industry before becoming one of Bollywood’s most recognisable performers.

Indian choreographer contributes to official World Cup project

The song’s production also included a notable Indian contribution. Mumbai-based choreographer Rajit Dev worked on the choreography for Siir Siir, becoming the first Indian choreographer associated with an official FIFA World Cup album project.

Dev credited Fatehi for helping connect him to the opportunity. He said preparations were completed under tight deadlines, with rehearsals conducted in India before filming portions of the music video in Morocco.

Attendance discussion overshadows parts of opening celebrations

While the performances generated significant attention, discussion also emerged around crowd sizes at some tournament venues.

Social media users pointed to visible empty seats during events in Toronto and at Guadalajara’s Estadio Akron, where South Korea faced Czechia. In contrast, Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca was reported to have attracted a full crowd during its opening celebrations.

FIFA pushed back against suggestions of poor attendance. In a statement posted on X, the governing body said official attendance figures are based on tickets scanned and spectators present within the stadium footprint rather than visual observations of occupied seats.

The organisation added that some ticket holders may spend portions of matches in concourse areas instead of sitting in their assigned sections.

Reports surrounding ticket availability also drew attention, with figures indicating that thousands of tickets remained available through FIFA’s official sales and resale platforms ahead of the tournament.

A global soundtrack for an expanded World Cup

The 2026 edition is the largest FIFA World Cup to date, featuring 48 participating teams and a multi-country hosting format across North America.

Music has played a central role in the tournament’s launch. Mexico City’s opening ceremony featured performances by Shakira and Burna Boy, who introduced the official anthem Dai Dai. Other artists connected to the tournament soundtrack include J Balvin, Future, Tyla, Stormzy and The Rolling Stones.

Elyanna appears on the World Cup track Illuminate alongside Canadian singer Jessie Reyez, while Fatehi’s Siir Siir represents another key entry on the tournament’s official album.

The celebrations are set to culminate with the World Cup final on July 19, where FIFA plans to stage its first Super Bowl-style halftime show at New York New Jersey Stadium.

Questions also emerged regarding artist compensation. Media reports stated that performers participating in FIFA World Cup opening events are not receiving direct appearance fees, with FIFA instead covering travel, accommodation, production, choreography and event-related expenses.