Inside "DNA": The 2026 FIFA World Cup Anthem That Fused Opera, Hip-Hop, and K-Pop

A genre-blending anthem designed for three nations

"DNA" is structured as a deliberate musical bridge. FIFA built the track to reflect the unprecedented scale of a 48-team tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico — the first World Cup with three host nations .

The production layers four distinct musical traditions into one anthem: Bocelli's operatic tenor opens the track with classical weight, Guetta's electronic production drives the pulse, Megan Thee Stallion delivers hip-hop verses, and EJAE brings K-pop-influenced vocals and pop structure . Lyrics move between English, Italian, and Korean — a trilingual design that mirrors the host countries' linguistic map . FIFA described the result as a "global dance anthem" built to echo across continents and unite multiple musical languages into a single tournament identity .

EJAE arrives fresh from an unprecedented awards sweep

EJAE's presence on the 2026 World Cup anthem is inseparable from the breakout year she had immediately before it. Her song "Golden" — from the Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters — became a global phenomenon in 2025 and 2026, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for eight consecutive weeks and making the film Netflix's most-watched original title with over 500 million views .

"Golden" achieved an awards run with no precedent in K-pop history. It won Best Original Song at the 98th Academy Awards, becoming the first K-pop song to win an Oscar . At the 68th Grammy Awards, it took Best Song Written for Visual Media, making EJAE the first K-pop songwriter to win a Grammy . Earlier in the season, it won Best Original Song at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, marking the first win for a Korean-American vocalist in that category . At the 2026 American Music Awards, EJAE and her Huntr/X collaborators won three group awards — Song of the Year, Best Pop Song, and Best Soundtrack — plus one individual honor .

In short: EJAE walked onto the Azteca pitch as an Oscar, Grammy, Golden Globe, and multi-AMA winner — and as the face of K-pop's rapid global mainstreaming .

Live debut at Estadio Azteca's history-making opening ceremony

"DNA" received its first live performance on Thursday, June 11, 2026, as part of the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. All four artists — Bocelli, Guetta, Megan Thee Stallion, and EJAE — took the stage in front of approximately 80,000 spectators .

The performance anchored a 20-minute ceremony that featured Colombian superstar Shakira alongside Nigerian artist Burna Boy, plus large-scale folkloric displays showcasing Mexico's Aztec heritage . Other performers throughout the broader opening festivities included Alanis Morissette, J Balvin, Tyla, and Los Ángeles Azules .

The only stadium to host three World Cup opening matches

The choice of Estadio Azteca as the venue for the "DNA" debut was itself historic. When Mexico kicked off against South Africa immediately after the ceremony, the Azteca became the first stadium in history to host three FIFA World Cup opening matches — 1970, 1986, and 2026 . No other venue has hosted even two openers .

The stadium's World Cup résumé already includes both the 1970 final (Pelé's Brazil vs. Italy) and the 1986 final (Maradona's Argentina vs. West Germany), plus the "Game of the Century" and the "Hand of God" — and now a record third opening ceremony added to the list . For context on the milestone: the 1970 opener was Mexico vs. the Soviet Union; the 1986 opener also launched the tournament from the Azteca; the 2026 edition sees Mexico face South Africa at 3:00 PM local time .

The largest World Cup ever staged

The scope of the 2026 World Cup is larger than any previous edition. FIFA expanded the tournament from 32 to 48 teams for the first time, and the matches are spread across 16 host cities in three nations: 11 in the United States, 3 in Mexico, and 2 in Canada . The competition runs from June 11 to July 19, 2026, covering 104 matches over 39 days .

For the first time, FIFA staged three separate opening ceremonies — one in each host nation — with the main ceremony at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City . The final will be played at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19 .

Music as a template for the tournament

"DNA" is the product of an unusual moment in sports and music convergence. The track's production reflects the tournament's own unprecedented dimensions: 48 teams, three nations, multiple continents, and multiple languages — all compressed into a single, playable anthem. Andrea Bocelli provided the classical anchor, David Guetta the global club pulse, Megan Thee Stallion the hip-hop presence, and EJAE — riding a historic awards streak — the K-pop energy that FIFA clearly wanted to represent on football's biggest stage . For a World Cup designed to be the most sprawling in history, its soundtrack is an attempt to condense that sprawl into something the whole stadium can sing. Whether it succeeds is for the terraces to decide.