This story is part of Billboard’s Global World Cup Series, a collection of stories which pairs top soccer stars across the world competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with highly-touted musicians in accompanying countries.

When Nora Fatehi stepped onto the stage in Toronto for the opening celebrations of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, dressed in red and performing before millions of viewers around the world, the moment felt historic.

So did Elyanna’s.

The Palestinian singer joined the celebrations after contributing “Illuminate” alongside Jessie Reyez to the Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Album, becoming part of a tournament that has increasingly embraced artists and sounds from across the Arab world.

To many watching, these appearances may have looked like breakthrough moments. In reality, they were something else entirely: the visible culmination of a cultural shift that has been unfolding for years.

The growing Arab presence at the world’s biggest sporting event is not the result of a sudden opportunity or a single successful campaign. It reflects a broader transformation in global music, one in which Arabic music has steadily expanded beyond its traditional markets and found audiences across continents. The World Cup simply provided one of the world’s largest stages on which that reality could finally be seen.

If Qatar 2022 marked a turning point, then 2026 feels like confirmation.

For decades, Arab artists built careers that extended far beyond their home countries. Artists such as Nancy Ajram, Elissa, Kadim Al Sahir and others have long filled arenas across Europe, North America and Australia, performing for Arab diaspora communities eager to remain connected to the music and culture they grew up with.

But something has changed in recent years. Streaming platforms, social media and cross-cultural collaborations have introduced Arabic music to entirely new audiences. Younger artists are increasingly discovering that their listeners are no longer limited to Arabic speakers. At concerts across Europe and North America, fans from different backgrounds sing along to songs whose language they may not fully understand but whose emotion they immediately recognize.

In some cases, artists are finding greater demand outside the region than within it. The rise of artists such as Saint Levant, DYSTINCT, TUL8TE and others has demonstrated that Arabic music can travel in ways that once seemed unlikely. Their success is not built solely on diaspora audiences, but on genuinely global listenership that connects with multilingual identities, hybrid sounds and stories that move effortlessly across borders. Seen through that lens, the presence of Arab artists at the World Cup begins to feel less surprising.

Nora Fatehi’s journey, in many ways, embodies that evolution.

Born and raised in Canada to Moroccan parents, she found her artistic breakthrough in India, building one of the most recognizable international careers of any artist with North African roots. Her fan base spans continents, languages and cultures, yet she has remained deeply connected to her Moroccan identity throughout her rise.

This year, she contributed “Siir Siir” alongside Vegedream and Sanjoy to FIFA’s official World Cup album. Within days of release, the song accumulated tens of millions of views online, becoming one of the tournament’s most visible musical offerings.

Her appearance in Toronto carried an additional layer of meaning. The city where she was raised became the backdrop for a milestone that connected every part of her story at once.

Speaking to Billboard Arabia following her performance, Fatehi reflected on what the moment represented: “It’s a moment of pride and honor to be able to perform once again at the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony,” she said. “I had the opportunity to perform in 2022 at the closing ceremony in Qatar, and this time, a homecoming moment for me, being able to come back home to Toronto, Canada, and perform for the first time in 12 years at the opening ceremony has been really a milestone in my career.”

For Fatehi, the performance was about more than visibility. “It’s more than just a performance. It’s a moment of true representation of my roots,” she explained. “I’m so grateful to be given a platform where I can celebrate my Moroccan heritage on the land I was born in with the wings that India has given me.”

Her words point toward one of the defining characteristics of contemporary Arab artists: many operate across multiple identities simultaneously. They are often shaped by migration, diaspora and cultural exchange, making them uniquely positioned to connect with audiences in different parts of the world.

Fatehi believes that visibility is only beginning to expand: “It’s also the beginning of more North African and Middle Eastern representation on global stages like never before,” she said. “And I’m proud that we are paving the way.”

Elyanna’s story follows a different path, but arrives at a similar destination.

The Palestinian artist has emerged as one of the most recognizable young voices from the region, building an audience that stretches well beyond the Arabic-speaking world. In recent years, she has performed on international stages across Europe and the Americas, opened for Coldplay during portions of the band’s world tour and become one of the most visible representatives of a new generation of globally minded Arab artists.

Her contribution to the World Cup came through “Illuminate,” recorded with Canadian singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez, before the pair took the stage together during the tournament’s opening celebrations.

Yet for Elyanna, the significance of the moment was inseparable from her identity: “I carry my roots wherever I go,” she told Billboard Arabia. “I sing to celebrate our identity, our culture. I’m proud to be representing my people at the World Cup, especially coming from Palestine.” Her comments also highlight another notable aspect of the 2026 tournament: the unprecedented Arab presence on the pitch itself.

For the first time in World Cup history, eight Arab nations qualified for the competition, creating a tournament that reflected a broader moment of visibility for the region across both sport and culture.

“It’s the first time we have so many Arab teams in the World Cup,” Elyanna said. “We are making history. I’m so honored to be part of it.”

That parallel feels significant. The expanding presence of Arab football teams and Arab musicians may be occurring in different arenas, but both tell versions of the same story. They reflect a region increasingly participating in global conversations not as a guest, but as a contributor.

If Qatar 2022 helped establish that momentum, it also demonstrated how powerful the intersection between football and Arabic music could be. The 2022 tournament introduced one of FIFA’s most ambitious musical lineups to date. Songs such as “Light the Sky,” performed by Rahma Riad, Balqees, Manal and Nora Fatehi, became defining moments for Arab audiences. The official soundtrack also featured collaborations that would have once seemed unimaginable, including “Dreamers,” which united BTS star Jung Kook with Qatari singer Fahad Al Kubaisi.

Those projects helped place Arabic music at the center of the World Cup conversation rather than at its margins. Four years later, the effects are becoming increasingly visible. Perhaps most importantly, the story appears far from over.

With Saudi Arabia set to host the FIFA World Cup in 2034, many in the music industry expect the relationship between Arabic music and football’s biggest tournament to deepen even further. The announcement of Saudi Arabia as host nation came on the same day Riyadh hosted the inaugural Billboard Arabia Music Awards on Dec. 11, 2024, a symbolic convergence of sport and music that felt almost impossible to ignore.

That same night, the awards stage witnessed the first live performance of “Ahlan Bil Alam – Yalla Yalla,” (Welcome World) performed by Ayed and Ghada Sheri, offering one of the earliest musical gestures toward the tournament’s future in the Kingdom.

There will undoubtedly be many more songs before kickoff arrives. And perhaps that is the clearest takeaway from Toronto.

The appearance of Arab artists at the 2026 FIFA World Cup was not a surprise ending to a story. It was a milestone along a much longer journey. one that began years ago in studios, on streaming platforms, in diaspora communities and on stages around the world.

The World Cup did not create Arabic music’s global moment. It revealed just how far that moment had already traveled.

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