The biggest FIFA World Cup in history gets underway on Thursday with hosts Mexico taking on South Africa at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, marking the start of a month-long football spectacle across North America.
The opening match, scheduled for 3 p.m. ET, will be the first of a record 104 matches in the expanded tournament, which features 48 teams for the first time.
The competition is being co-hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada, making it the first World Cup to be staged across three countries.
Mexico, one of the tournament hosts, will launch its Group A campaign against South Africa before a packed crowd at the historic stadium, which has hosted some of football’s most memorable moments, including matches during the 1970 and 1986 World Cups.
FIFA has described the 2026 edition as the largest World Cup ever, with matches scheduled across 16 host cities in North America.
The tournament will run from June 11 to July 19, culminating in the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The Mexico-South Africa clash also revives memories of the 2010 World Cup opener in Johannesburg, where the two nations met in the first match of Africa’s maiden World Cup.
Group A also includes South Korea and Czechia, with the top teams advancing to the knockout stage of the expanded tournament.
Fans around the world are expected to tune in for the opening ceremony and the first match, which officially launches what FIFA expects to be the most-watched World Cup in history.
Mexico enters the tournament seeking a strong start on home soil, while South Africa will be looking to upset the hosts and make an early statement in the competition.
The opening day will also feature a second Group A fixture between South Korea and Czechia in Guadalajara as the race for a place in the knockout rounds begins.
