Colombian stars Carlos Vives and Silvestre Dangond brought all the magic and joy of vallenato to the Estadio GNP Seguros on Tuesday (June 16) in Mexico City, celebrating with music ahead of the Colombian National Team’s FIFA World Cup 2026 debut on Wednesday (June 17). The lineup for this grand “Colombian night” also included trio ChocQuibTown.

The concert capped several hours of celebrations by the Colombian community in Mexico, including by both residents and visitors. The festivities kicked off Tuesday evening with a massive gathering at the iconic Ángel de la Independencia monument, adorned with Colombian tricolor flags, yellow jerseys and traditional vueltiao hats.

“Good evening to the world! We’re in Mexico with everyone from all the Americas, Hispanic America, Ibero-America, even Europe is here,” an emotional Vives said to the crowd. “I see the flags, the jerseys that are never missing.”

Vives’ performance at the capital’s stadium, which appeared less crowded than usual, began with “Volví a Nacer,” followed by his Shakira-assisted hit “La Bicicleta.” The setlist also featured “Canción Bonita” (originally recorded with Ricky Martin), “Tuyo y Nada Más” and “Ella Es Mi Fiesta.”

Performing alongside ChocQuibTown, Vives delivered “Nota de Amor,” followed by a medley of classics like “La Hamaca Grande” and “La Gota Fría.” Later, he joined forces with Silvestre Dangond to sing “Matilde Lina,” “Jaime Molina” and “La Cañaguatera,” a classic vallenato folk song written by Isaac Carrillo Vega and popularized by legendary accordionist Alfredo Gutiérrez.

Tuesday’s show coincided with the release of Billboard Español’s latest cover story, featuring Vives, Juanes, Camilo and Fonseca. In his interview with Leila Cobo, co-chief content officer of Billboard, Vives shared that he was “born into a soccer team,” as his father was a director of the local Unión team in his hometown of Santa Marta, in northern Colombia. “I grew up in that world,” he said, recounting a series of anecdotes alongside his fellow Colombians.

Earlier in the evening, Dangond — who also recently graced the cover of Billboard Colombia — got the festivities started with Colombian folklore, performing hits like “Ya No Me Duele Más,” “Dile,” “La Difunta,” “Lo Ajeno Se Respeta” and the classic made famous by Omar Geles, “A Blanco y Negro.” He dedicated his hit “Cásate Conmigo” to a Colombian couple in the stadium who held up a sign asking him to perform the song so the man could propose to his beloved again.

Despite the rain that poured over Mexico City, the crowd’s energy never faltered. “Today we are one family, music and soccer, and we’re dancing cumbia,” Vives said, thanking the audience.

The Colombian National Team will make its FIFA World Cup 2026 debut on Wednesday night at the imposing Estadio Ciudad de México (formerly Estadio Azteca, now Estadio Banorte) against their rivals from Uzbekistan.

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