How Champions League opening ceremony acts have evolved, from Burna Boy to Alicia Keys

Organisers have been booking bigger artists over the years to perform as a prelude to the final match

Nigerian singer Burna Boy performs prior to the 2023 UEFA Champions League final at Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey. Getty Images

Fireworks go off as Burna Boy performs. AFP

Burna Boy is the first Afrobeat artist to headline the Champions League final opening ceremony. AFP

Live music mini concerts have been part of the event since 2016. EPA

Nigerian singer Burna Boy on stage. AFP

Burna Boy's performance on the big stage is a win for the Afrobeat genre. Getty Images

Burna Boy played some of his hits, including Last Night and It's Plenty. EPA

Brazilian singer Anitta also made an appearance at the opening ceremony. Getty Images

She performed her new single Funk Rave. AFP

Anitta is considered the next global pop star from Latin America. EPA

This year's Champions League final will go down in history as both a team and a music genre lived up to their potential.

As well as Manchester City winning the prestigious trophy for the first time, Burna Boy set the stage by performing as part of the opening ceremony.

The Nigerian singer is not only the first African artist to headline the event, but his inclusion is also a huge win for the Afrobeat genre and proves it can be a hit in clubs and stadiums.

Joined by drummers and dancers in costumes showcasing their Nigerian heritage, Burna Boy zipped through a pulsating set featuring hits Last Night and It's Plenty.

He was also joined by Brazilian starlet Anitta, who showcased her new single Funk Rave before Swedish DJ Alesso capped off the evening with his epic dance track Heroes (We Could Be).

While it has yet to reach the levels of the NFL Super Bowl half-time show in terms of scale and star power, the Champions League final opening ceremony is making its own mark on the pitch. Here's how it has evolved over the years.

2016: Alicia Keys

It was a new dawn for the Champions League.

That year, the goal-line technology system Hawk-Eye – which tracks the trajectory of the ball – was introduced in the tournament’s final match, while Alicia Keys became the first artist to perform a live set in the event.

Where in the preceding years acts performed up to six songs, the RnB singer kept it short and sweet in Milan, Italy.

She performed three songs, including the popular Girl on Fire and Empire State of Mind.

2017: Black Eyed Peas

With the format still in its infancy, it seemed only right that tournament organisers rely on seasoned artists such as Black Eyed Peas.

No stranger to big events – the hip-hop crew had headlined the 2011 NFL Super Bowl in the US and performed in the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa – they delivered a typically joyous set in Cardiff.

The show featured back-to-back hits, beginning with Let's Get It Started and ending with a stadium singing along to I Gotta Feeling.

2018: Dua Lipa

On the cusp of greatness, Dua Lipa showed why she was a superstar to be, with an assured performance in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

While her biggest album Future Nostalgia was still two years away, Lipa still produced an impactful setlist including the live debut of One Kiss, her hit collaboration with DJ Calvin Harris, Be The One and No Lie – the latter featuring a guest appearance from Jamaican star Sean Paul.

2019: Imagine Dragons

The Champions League made a statement by signing up Imagine Dragons for the opening ceremony in Madrid.

At the peak of their fame at the time, the US rockers tore through an anthemic set featuring the hits Radioactive and Believer backed by a large pyrotechnic display.

2021: Marshmello

Held in the Portuguese city of Porto, the match was played under stringent safety measures owing to the spread of Covid-19.

With the previous year’s game held entirely behind closed doors without any live performances, only 14,000 spectators were allowed access to the stadium.

The pre-match show, featuring EDM star DJ Marshmello was pre-recorded on a virtual stage.

The result is a slightly bizarre mixture of video clip and advertising promo for tournament sponsors, as the bucket-headed DJ performed on the keyboards while strolling through a range of European cities including Paris and London.

The performance also featured guest appearances from singers Selena Gomez and Khalid.

2022: Camila Cabello

Fresh from releasing latest album Familia earlier in the year, Cuban-American pop star Camila Cabello played a selection of new tracks and hits such as Havana and Senorita.

Backed by nearly a hundred dancers and a band in flamenco costumes in Paris, she delivered one of the most elaborately staged Champions League final performances.