The 2026 World Cup kicks off this Thursday with the opening match between Mexico and South Africa. The game will be played in Mexico City, at Mexico City Stadium, with kickoff at 21:00 PM French time. For Mexico, co-hosting the tournament with the United States and Canada, this opening match marks the start of a competition partly held on its soil. The game will be broadcast live on beIN Sports 1 and M6. beIN Sports will broadcast the entire tournament, while M6 will show some matches free-to-air. This 2026 edition is the first World Cup to feature 48 teams, for a total of 104 matches culminating in the final.
Mexico arrives with momentum before its first match.
A World Cup regular, Mexico approaches this opening match with positive preparation. La Verde is coming off three wins before the tournament: 2-0 against Ghana, 1-0 against Australia, and 5-1 against Serbia in their last outing. These results give the Mexican team a boost before a high-profile match in front of their home crowd. This opening game also has immediate importance in Group A. A victory would allow Mexico to take the lead in the group on the first matchday, before South Korea and the Czech Republic enter the competition a few hours later.
South Africa wants to respond
South Africa begins its tournament against the host nation. Bafana Bafana made a strong impression at the last Africa Cup of Nations, where they displayed a solid and competitive team. However, their preparation for the World Cup was less convincing, with no wins in their four friendly matches. Against Mexico, the South Africans will have to navigate a unique situation: an opening match, a stadium heavily supporting their opponents, and a confident Mexican side. The result of this first encounter will directly impact the rest of Group A.
A remake of the 2010 opening match
This match is a direct throwback to a specific encounter. Mexico and South Africa faced off in the opening match of the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with Siphiwe Tshabalala opening the scoring for South Africa and Rafael Márquez equalizing for Mexico. Sixteen years later, the two teams meet again to kick off a World Cup. This time, however, the roles are reversed: South Africa is no longer the host nation, and Mexico is playing in front of its home crowd.
South Korea vs. Czech Republic, second match of the evening
The second match in Group A will then pit South Korea against the Czech Republic. The game will be played in the early hours of Friday morning, with kickoff scheduled for 04:00 AM French time in Guadalajara. It will be broadcast on beIN Sports 1. This match will complete the first day of Group A fixtures. South Korea, a World Cup veteran, will begin their campaign against a Czech Republic returning to the competition. After these two matches, all four teams in the group will have played their first game, and the initial group standings will be established.
Community
Comments
Comments are open, but protected against spam. Initial posts and comments containing links undergo manual review.
Be the first to comment on this article.