No South African Stardust at World Cup Gala

The FIFA World Cup is one of the  most watched sporting events, with the 2006 World Cup boasting a worldwide TV audience of over 26 billion. The organizers believe this year will be "the greatest entertainment event to date in Africa," and with such a talented lot of musical performers to start the festivities, it is hard to believe otherwise.

Traditionally, the opening ceremony of the World Cup has been used by the host nation to showcase local talent. For the 1998 World Cup in France, local singer Axelle Red performed alongside Senegalese artist Youssou N'Dour, and the stars at the 2006 World Cup in Germany were tenor Herbert Grönemeyer and drummers from Upper Bavaria.

This year however, only three South African acts– progressive rock band BLK JKS, the Parlotones and singer-songwriter Vusi Mahlasela – have been lined up for the show at Soccer City, Soweto. Africa will be represented by acts from Mali and Benin, even though their countries have not qualified for the tournament. Many South African artists are not happy about being sidelined by more mainstream, foreign acts.

This year's Soccer World Cup in South Africa will be kicked off by R&B singer Alicia Keys and the pop band Black Eyed Peas. Other artists performing at the opening ceremony include John Legend, Angelique Kidjo, Shakira and Juanes. The concert will take place on June 10 in the newly remodeled Orlando Stadium with more than 30,000 people expected to pack in to the arena.

FIFA secretary general, Jerome Valcke said, "We are thrilled to have a concert of such magnitude and performing talent raise the curtain on the first FIFA World Cup in Africa."