Tyla sang Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika at the 2026 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on June 11, delivering the South African national anthem before South Africa’s Group A kickoff against host nation Mexico.
The moment was staged on football’s biggest stage: the tournament that runs June 11 to July 19 and features 48 countries playing 104 matches. For the appearance, Tyla paired a color‑blocked, sleeveless body‑con dress — knee‑length with a slightly flared hemline — with Jeffrey Campbell’s Booyah style sandals in white; the Booyah in white retails for $170 (the tan suede version retails for $195). The Booyah style is marked by a wedge heel, a cutout in the heel, a wide transparent vinyl strap and a metallic ring detail around the heel. She wore her hair in an updo with a lock falling down from the bun.
Her performance was also a formal tie to the tournament’s music rollout: Tyla is part of the official FIFA World Cup 2026 album and said as much in a statement surrounding the event. "Being part of the official FIFA World Cup 2026™ album feels like a full circle moment — from South Africa hosting the World Cup in 2010. I’m so excited to perform at the opening ceremonies! Let’s go Bafana Bafana" she said.
The anthem slot carried ceremonial weight beyond a single national moment. Singing before the opening match at Estadio Azteca attached Tyla directly to a global broadcast and to the opening match between co‑host Mexico and South Africa, a pairing intended to mark the tournament’s multinational stage and the return to a three‑nation hosting format.
There is a practical follow‑on to the Mexico City appearance: Tyla is set to perform on Friday in connection with the official album track "Game Time" with Future. Some coverage of the tournament has focused solely on the Mexico City ceremony; other reports list a planned U.S. appearance in Los Angeles on Friday, creating uncertainty about whether that Friday engagement will be a separate live appearance at the U.S. opening events or a promotional performance tied to the album release.
The most consequential near‑term outcome is straightforward: Tyla’s Mexico City anthem solidified her role as one of the tournament’s musical faces, and she is scheduled to appear again on Friday as part of the World Cup album campaign. Whether that Friday slot will place her on the U.S. opening‑ceremony stage in Los Angeles or in a different promotional setting remains the unanswered detail that will determine how visible she is to U.S. audiences over the tournament’s opening weekend.
