British heavy metal icons Iron Maiden officially launched the 2026 leg of their massive “Run For Your Lives” world tour on Saturday night, May 23. The highly anticipated opening performance took place at the Olympic Athletic Center of Athens (OAKA) in Greece. Now, the band has released an official video recap allowing fans worldwide to witness the energy of the monumental kick-off.
While the core of the setlist remained consistent with the 2025 leg of the tour, the band delivered a massive, unexpected surprise for the Greek audience. For the first time since 1988, Iron Maiden resurrected “Infinite Dreams“, a classic track pulled directly from their revered seventh studio album, Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son. The song had not been performed live since the original touring cycle that supported the LP nearly four decades ago.
Before launching into the deep cut as the sixth song of the evening, dynamic frontman Bruce Dickinson addressed the packed stadium crowd:
“We couldn’t think of a better place in Europe to start this tour… We know a few of you have seen some of this show before. We thought we’d just do a little bit of something different, just for this next song, because it’s a song that we have not played for many, many years. No, it’s not ‘Alexander The Great‘. But it will be when you go to bed tonight — your ‘Infinite Dreams‘.”
The historic opening night was hosted at OAKA, the largest stadium venue in Greece, which has a long-standing history of hosting premier international musical acts and major sporting events. Direct support for the Athens concert was provided by American thrash metal pioneers Anthrax.
Following the European dates, Iron Maiden will bring the world tour to North America. Celebrating their 50th anniversary, the band will deliver a state-of-the-art production to stadiums and major amphitheaters across the United States and Canada. The tour focuses exclusively on the groundbreaking material from their first nine studio albums and includes a headlining appearance at the Louder Than Life festival in Kentucky on September 17, 2026.
According to a press release, these upcoming performances mark 45 years since the band first visited North America on the 1981 “Killer” world tour and will feature some of the largest-scale productions they have ever brought to the region.
Iron Maiden — Athens, Greece Setlist (May 23, 2026):
- “Murders In The Rue Morgue“
- “Wrathchild“
- “Killers“
- “Phantom Of The Opera“
- “The Number Of The Beast“
- “Infinite Dreams” (First performance since 1988)
- “Powerslave“
- “2 Minutes To Midnight“
- “Rime Of The Ancient Mariner“
- “Run To The Hills“
- “Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son“
- “The Trooper“
- “Hallowed Be Thy Name“
- “Iron Maiden“
- “Aces High“
- “Fear Of The Dark“
- “Wasted Years“
Iron Maiden “Run For Your Lives” 2026 World Tour Dates:
- 05/26 – Sofia, BULGARIA @ Vasil Levski Stadium (feat. Anthrax)
- 05/28 – Bucharest, ROMANIA @ Arena Națională (feat. Anthrax)
- 05/30 – Bratislava, SLOVAKIA @ Národný Futbalový Štadión (feat. Anthrax)
- 06/02 – Hannover, GERMANY @ Heinz von Heiden Arena (feat. Megadeth)
- 06/04 – Solvesborg, SWEDEN @ Sweden Rock
- 06/06 – Nurnberg, GERMANY @ Zeppelinfeld (Rock IM Park)
- 06/07 – Nurburgring, GERMANY @ Rock AM Ring
- 06/10 – Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS @ Ziggo Dome (feat. Evergrey)
- 06/13 – Nickelsdorf, AUSTRIA @ Nova Rock
- 06/14 – Hradec Kralove, CZECH REPUBLIC @ Rock For People
- 06/17 – Milan, ITALY @ San Siro Stadium (feat. Trivium)
- 06/19 – Clisson, FRANCE @ Hellfest
- 06/22 – Paris, FRANCE @ Paris La Défense Arena (feat. Evergrey)
- 06/24 – 06/27 – Copenhagen, DENMARK @ Copenhell
- 06/25 – Oslo, NORWAY @ Tons of Rock
- 06/28 – Lyon, FRANCE @ Groupama Stadium (feat. Anthrax)
- 06/29 – Antwerp, BELGIUM @ Live is Live
- 07/01 – 07/04 – Viveiro, SPAIN @ Resurrection Fest
- 07/04 – Cartagena, SPAIN @ Rock Imperium Festival
- 07/07 – Lisbon, PORTUGAL @ Estádio da Luz (feat. Anthrax)
- 07/11 – Knebworth, UK @ EddFest (feat. The Darkness, The Hu, Airbourne, The Almighty)
- 08/29 – Toronto, ON, CANADA @ Scotiabank Arena (feat. Megadeth)
- 08/30 – Toronto, ON, CANADA @ Scotiabank Arena (feat. Megadeth)
- 09/03 – Montréal, QC, CANADA @ Parc Jean-Drapeau (feat. Megadeth, Anthrax)
- 09/05 – Harrison, NJ, USA @ Sports Illustrated Stadium (feat. Megadeth, Anthrax)
- 09/06 – Harrison, NJ, USA @ Sports Illustrated Stadium (feat. Megadeth, Anthrax)
- 09/09 – Boston, MA, USA @ TD Garden (feat. Megadeth)
- 09/11 – Bristow, VA, USA @ Jiffy Lube Live (feat. Megadeth)
- 09/12 – Charlotte, NC, USA @ PNC Music Pavilion (feat. Megadeth)
- 09/15 – Hershey, PA, USA @ Hersheypark Stadium (feat. Megadeth)
- 09/17 – Louisville, KY, USA @ Louder Than Life Festival
- 09/19 – Shakopee, MN, USA @ Mystic Lake Amphitheater (feat. Megadeth)
- 09/22 – Chicago, IL, USA @ Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre (feat. Megadeth)
- 09/25 – Los Angeles, CA, USA @ BMO Stadium (feat. Megadeth, Anthrax)
- 09/27 – Los Angeles, CA, USA @ BMO Stadium (feat. Megadeth, Anthrax)
- 09/29 – San Antonio, TX, USA @ Alamodome (feat. Megadeth, Anthrax)
- 10/02 – Mexico City, MEXICO @ Estadio GNP Seguros (feat. Anthrax)
- 10/05 – San Salvador, EL SALVADOR @ Estadio Jorge “Mágico” González (feat. The Raven Age, Souls of Steel)
- 10/08 – San José, COSTA RICA @ Estadio Nacional (feat. The Raven Age)
- 10/11 – Bogotá, COLOMBIA @ Vive Claro (feat. The Raven Age)
- 10/14 – Quito, ECUADOR @ Estadio Atahualpa (feat. The Raven Age)
- 10/17 – Lima, PERU @ Estadio Nacional (feat. The Raven Age)
- 10/20 – Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA @ Estadio Hurácan (feat. La H No Murió)
- 10/21 – Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA @ Estadio Hurácan (feat. La H No Murió)
- 10/25 – São Paulo, BRAZIL @ Allianz Parque (feat. Alter Bridge)
- 10/27 – São Paulo, BRAZIL @ Allianz Parque (feat. Alter Bridge)
- 10/31 – Santiago, CHILE @ Estadio Nacional (feat. Mammoth, Nuclear)
- 11/01 – Santiago, CHILE @ Estadio Nacional (feat. Mammoth, Nuclear)
- 11/07 – Auckland, NEW ZEALAND @ Spark Arena (feat. Megadeth)
- 11/11 – Adelaide, AUSTRALIA @ Adelaide Entertainment Centre (feat. Megadeth)
- 11/13 – Melbourne, AUSTRALIA @ AAMI Park (feat. Megadeth)
- 11/15 – Sydney, AUSTRALIA @ Allianz Stadium (feat. Megadeth)
- 11/18 – Brisbane, AUSTRALIA @ Brisbane Entertainment Centre (feat. Megadeth)
- 11/24 – Yokohama, JAPAN @ K-Arena
- 11/25 – Yokohama, JAPAN @ K-Arena
