Live entertainment production company Balich Wonder Studio — the Banijay-owned outfit that has delivered six FIFA World Cup ceremonies, culminating in the soccer tournament’s star-studded closing on Sunday — is expanding by opening offices in New York, Los Angeles and Mexico City.
The move from the Milan-based studio, which is headed by creative director and executive producer Marco Balich — who has 17 Olympic ceremonies and numerous other top global events under his belt — comes after a peak period and aims to accelerate the studio’s next phase of growth.
Besides the World Cup, the years 2025 and 2026 have also seen Balich shepherd the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, the UEFA Champions League soccer tournament’s final kick-off show and the preamble to the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 in Morocco, bolstering Balich Wonder Studios’ status “as one of the world’s leading creators of extraordinary cultural moments experienced by billions of people around the world,” as a statement put it.
Balich Wonder Studio’s global footprint now comprises hubs in New York, Los Angeles and Mexico City in addition to Milan, Paris, Dubai, Riyadh and Shanghai, “each anchored in a key growth market for live entertainment, sport and IP-development,” the statement said.
