Nigerian singer Divine Ikubor, popularly known as Rema, joined global music stars Lisa and Anitta to perform their collaborative song ‘Goals’ at the opening ceremony of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Los Angeles on Friday.
The performance took place at SoFi Stadium ahead of the United States’ opening match against Paraguay and marked the first live rendition of ‘Goals:, a song released in May as part of the official FIFA World Cup 2026 album.
Videos from the ceremony showed Rema dressed in a white hooded outfit as he shared the stage with Lisa and Anitta. The song blends Afrobeats, K-pop and Latin pop, bringing together artistes from Africa, Asia and Latin America. It was produced by Grammy-winning producer Cirkut alongside Bava and Pink Slip.
Rema’s appearance formed part of a star-studded entertainment lineup that also featured Future, Tyla and Katy Perry.
The performance came a day after another Nigerian star, Damini Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, joined Colombian singer Shakira for the live debut of Dai Dai, the official song of the tournament, at the opening ceremony in Mexico City.
FIFA had announced before the event that Goals would make its live debut during the Los Angeles ceremony. Speaking about the collaboration ahead of the tournament, Rema described the song as a meeting point of different cultures, saying it represented “three continents, one track.”
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada and is the first edition of the tournament to feature 48 teams. Rema’s performance further highlighted the growing influence of Afrobeats on the global stage and added to Nigeria’s presence at the tournament’s opening celebrations.
