{"id":11511,"date":"2026-06-10T21:29:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T01:29:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/?p=11511"},"modified":"2026-06-10T21:29:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T01:29:45","slug":"fifa-to-honor-pele-and-maradona-at-world-cup-2026-opening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/fifa-to-honor-pele-and-maradona-at-world-cup-2026-opening-10062026\/","title":{"rendered":"FIFA to Honor Pele and Maradona at World Cup 2026 Opening"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The historic tribute that FIFA will pay to Diego Armando Maradona and Edson Arantes do Nascimento \u201cPele\u201d aims to connect the legacies of these two unmatched sporting icons with the start of an unprecedented tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/telesurenglish.net\/world-cup-between-wars-silence-dreams\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The World Cup: Between Wars, Silence, and Dreams<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This edition of the World Cup 2026 marks the first time in history that 48 national teams will compete for the global title, celebrating the roots of popular football in Latin America\u2019s most emblematic stadium, cementing the historical importance of the venue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Historic Football Legacies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The segment dedicated to the Argentinean footballer will revive his unforgettable 1986 achievements at this very venue, where he scored legendary goals such as \u201cGod\u2019s Hand\u201d and the renowned \u201cCentury\u2019s Goal\u201d against England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">South American and international football legends will attend the ceremony to honor his memory, almost six years after his physical departure. Additionally, the event will pay homage to the mythical 1970 Brazilian team led by Pel\u00e9, which defeated Italy 4-1. This emotional tribute represents the first-ever World Cup opening ceremony without the physical presence of the so-called \u201cBrazilian King\u201d, prompting historical legends to gather to safeguard the memory of these XX century champions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Designed by FIFA and Italian producer Marco Balich, the opening format features three independent ceremonies across the three host countries. However, the Estadio Ciudad de M\u00e9xico, historically known as Estadio Azteca, will make history as the first stadium on the planet to host three inaugural World Cup matches, following its roles in 1970 and 1986. Local authorities confirmed that stadium gates will open four hours before the opening Group A match between Mexico and South Africa to facilitate smooth fan entry, while comprehensive organizing plans prioritize spectator security around the public venue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Multicultural Opening Show<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 90-minute opening show will transition into a multicultural artistic display blending different musical genres and generations. Colombian star Shakira will headline the entertainment segment, performing \u201c<em>Dai Dai\u201d<\/em>, the official tournament song that explicitly references the greatness of Pele and Maradona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The international music lineup also features contemporary global stars such as Burna Boy, Venezuelan singer Danny Ocean, J Balvin, and South African performer Tyla. Social movements note that the inclusion of diverse musical rhythms prominently highlights the artistic expressions of communities throughout the Global South.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[ SOURCE: teleSUR ]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The historic tribute that FIFA will pay to Diego Armando Maradona and Edson Arantes do Nascimento &ldquo;Pele&rdquo; aims to connect the legacies of these two unmatched sporting icons with the&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11512,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[8],"class_list":["post-11511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"authors":[{"term_id":8,"user_id":1,"is_guest":0,"slug":"yolaunicaquehay","display_name":"RRebeldeAdminWP","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e6145d63ff95c9a0f0e53b7149804b1faf86748d6cc15f466103269a288ea377?s=96&d=mm&r=g","0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11511"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11511\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11513,"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11511\/revisions\/11513"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11511"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=11511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}