Anitta
Brazilian pop star; one of six performers at the 2026 World Cup SoFi Stadium opening ceremony.
Last refreshed: 21 May 2026
Does Anitta's World Cup performance give Brazil a cultural presence to match their on-pitch ambitions?
Timeline for Anitta
- Who is Anitta and why is she at the World Cup 2026?
- Anitta (Larissa de Macedo Machado) is Brazil's biggest global pop star, known for Envolver (2022). FIFA selected her as one of six performers at the SoFi Stadium opening ceremony on 12 June 2026.Source: Lowdown
- What record did Anitta set on Spotify?
- Anitta became the first Latin American artist to reach No.1 on Spotify's global chart with Envolver in March 2022.
Background
Anitta (born Larissa de Macedo Machado, 1993, Rio de Janeiro) is Brazil's biggest global pop export, a funk carioca and pop singer who became the first Latin American artist to reach No.1 on Spotify's global chart with Envolver in 2022. She is one of six performers confirmed by FIFA for the SoFi Stadium opening ceremony on 12 June 2026, the day the United States plays Paraguay in the World Cup opener, in a 13-minute production by Balich Wonder Studio.
Anitta's career spans Portuguese-language funk and baile funk as well as English and Spanish crossover records. Her 2022 global breakthrough positioned her as a bridge between Brazilian popular music and US mainstream audiences. She is the most prominent Brazilian voice in the ceremony line-up, with the Brazil national squad — including Neymar's comeback — simultaneously generating enormous domestic attention.
Her inclusion signals FIFA's intent to incorporate Brazilian culture into the US-hosted opening given Brazil's status as a top World Cup contender and the sport's most storied nation.
