While Mexico’s president and the capital’s mayor watched from a street fan festival, Mexican actress Salma Hayek stood on the pitch at Estadio Azteca and shouted “¡Viva México!” to 80,000 fans.
Hayek served as a cultural ambassador, giving an opening speech at the ceremony.
“Que viva México y que viva el futbol”: Salma Hayek da un espectacular discurso de bienvenida del Mundial 2026. 🇲🇽⚽️🏆#ElMundialEsNuestro, disfrútalo por #Televisa y #ViX ⚽🔥 #A pic.twitter.com/AcfDTPCTQ0
— Las Estrellas (@Canal_Estrellas) June 11, 2026
“We Mexicans are deeply honored that the first match of this wonderful football tradition that brings us all together begins here,” she said before appearing alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino and even getting the opportunity to hold the World Cup for a few minutes.
But Hayek wasn’t the only celebrity in Estadio Azteca (which has been re-dubbed Mexico City Stadium for the duration of the World Cup). A range of artists and sports stars showed up in Mexico City this week to witness the opening of the year’s biggest sporting event.
Before the game began, one of the celebrities generating buzz was the U.S. pop star Sabrina Carpenter, who hours before the opening match was spotted walking through the streets of Mexico City holding hands with a man in a hot dog costume.
Meanwhile, in the VIP stands, Mexican world boxing champion Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez was sitting with his wife Fernanda Gómez, both proudly wearing the Mexican national team jersey.
Una joven con gran parecido a Sabrina Carpenter @SabrinaAnnLynn desató furor entre los aficionados en el estadio capitalino previo a la inauguración del torneo.
Sin embargo, de acuerdo con versiones difundidas en redes sociales, se trataría de una broma de un influencer, quien… pic.twitter.com/uJhHZhwOsP
— MÉXICO AL MINUTO (@mexico_alminuto) June 11, 2026
Another sports celebrity sitting in the VIP area was Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho, who attended as one of FIFA’s special guests for the tournament’s opening. Photos and videos that circulated on social media showed the former player mingling with other historical figures of world football, including Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo and Roberto Baggio.
Thomas Müller, a World Cup champion with Germany in 2014, was spotted enjoying the show, as well as the legendary German manager Jürgen Klopp.
MND’s reporter Peter Davies, who spent 10 hours at the Azteca Stadium reporting live on the event, also spotted and spoke with Grupo Firme’s manager Isael Gutiérrez.
A few conspicuous absences drew even more attention than the stars in attendance. President Claudia Sheinbaum and Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada both chose not to attend the match at Estadio Azteca, and instead watched the game alongside the capital’s residents at public events outside the venue.
Their absence broke with the tradition of seeing top officials at the opening of a World Cup and became one of the most discussed political topics of the day.
Among the politicians who did make an appearance were Nuevo León’s Governor Samuel García — who recently declared himself in “party mode” for the duration of the World Cup — and his wife Mariana Rodríguez, as well as former México state Governor Alfredo del Mazo.
With reports from The Sun UK, El Financiero, La Jornada, Excelsior
