World Cup gets under way as Mexico host South Africa at the Azteca

What happened

The 2026 World Cup gets under way on Thursday, with hosts Mexico facing South Africa in the opening match at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, kicking off at 1 p.m. local time (8 p.m. BST) after an opening ceremony at the ground. It is the first fixture of the largest World Cup in history — a 48-team, 104-match tournament shared between the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Why it matters

The curtain-raiser launches a tournament unprecedented in scale, and it does so at a venue steeped in the competition's history: the Azteca becomes the first stadium to stage matches at three men's World Cups, having previously hosted the 1970 and 1986 editions. For the co-hosts, a winning start in front of a home crowd would set the tone for a Mexico side that has carried momentum into the finals.

Context

The opener is a rematch of the 2010 curtain-raiser, when South Africa and Mexico drew 1-1, and goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa is the only player in either squad to have featured that day. Mexico arrive unbeaten across their 2026 warm-ups, while South Africa, back at the World Cup for the first time since hosting it in 2010, prepare under Hugo Broos after a more muted build-up.

What to watch next

Beyond the result and the ceremony, attention turns quickly to the other co-hosts joining the action within days, with the United States meeting Paraguay and Canada opening at home. The tournament, which runs to 19 July, will also keep one eye on the fitness of marquee names — Lionel Messi returned to score in Argentina's final tune-up, while Brazil await Neymar for their opener against Morocco on 13 June.