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How long is the World Cup opening ceremony? Projected length for USA, Mexico and Canada pregame shows

How long is the World Cup opening ceremony? Projected length for USA, Mexico and Canada pregame shows originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Whether you're watching for a Ronaldo Chop or a Shakira song, the World Cup has a little something for everyone. And it all begins with the opening ceremony. This year, with three different host countries come three different opening ceremonies.

Each of these ceremonies brings forth a cast of music legends, from the likes of pop icon Katy Perry to Latin sensation J Balvin. These ceremonies also serve as the lead-up to each country's first match of the World Cup.

But how long will each of these ceremonies last with a gaggle of artists each performing?

Here is the expected run time of each opening ceremony.

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How long is the World Cup opening ceremony?

For this year's World Cup, not all ceremony lengths are created equal. For Mexico, the opening ceremony is scheduled to last about 16 minutes and 30 seconds, per The Athletic. This will leave ample time to clear the area and allow players to warm up ahead of the match.

The U.S. and Canada are opting for shorter opening ceremonies, with each scheduled to last about 13 minutes. Mexico and Canada will have nine total artists performing at their ceremony, while the U.S. has just seven, which can provide context to the various run times.

MORE: Full list of World Cup 2026 opening ceremony performers, from Shakira to Katy Perry

How long are previous opening ceremonies?

This year's ceremonies mark a step down from the lengthy ceremony in Qatar in 2022. That performance lasted 26 minutes.

Generally speaking, most opening ceremonies last between 25 and 30 minutes, including each of the past three World Cup cycles. This year, that number has been sliced in half for some countries.

What time is each World Cup opening ceremony?

Each of the three host countries will have their own unique opening ceremony. Mexico will host the first opening ceremony, with performances from Shakira and J Balvin, among others. This begins at 1:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 11.

Second on the list is Canada, whose opening ceremony takes place in Toronto on Friday, June 12, also at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Finally, the United States opening ceremony features Katy Perry and Future, among others, and takes place on Friday, June 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

These ceremonies generally begin 90 minutes before the start of the host country's kickoff match.

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