After years of anticipation and organization, the moment has finally arrived. The 2026 World Cup, staged across the United States, Mexico and Canada, officially kicks off today.
As was the case 16 years ago at the 2010 tournament, an opener between Mexico and South Africa gets things underway, only this time the match will be contested at the world famous Estadio Azteca—one of 16 venues being used to stage the 104 matches that will take place this summer.
Group A’s other two participants, South Korea and Czechia, clash later on in the day—or perhaps the next day, depending on where you are watching around the world.
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Excitement is through the roof for the opening matches of the largest ever World Cup—48 teams are colliding across North America in the hunt for glory—with many looking to the on-field action as a distraction from the chaos of ticket pricing, security checks and other issues that have dominated the news cycle in recent months.
Those problems won’t be going away anytime soon, but the opening games should give us a flavor of what we can expect in the coming days and weeks—Mauricio Pochettino’s U.S men’s national team and Jesse Marsch’s Canada among those who are in action almost immediately.
So settle in, get excited and feast your eyes on Sports Illustrated’s guide to day one of the World Cup.
Mexico vs. South Africa
- Location : Mexico City, Mexico
- Stadium : Estadio Azteca
- Date : Thursday, June 11
- Kick-off Time : 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. BST
- Full Match Preview and Predictions
Co-host Mexico is first to take to the field, buoyed by its legion of passionate supporters at the Estadio Azteca. El Tri enters the tournament in impressive form under Javier Aguirre and will lean on home advantage as it seeks to make a winning start. With eight third-placed teams also reaching the last 32 alongside each group’s top two, one victory could well be enough for progression.
South Africa is seeking to spoil the party, and a repeat of the 1–1 draw with Mexico in the opener of the 2010 World Cup woud do Bafana Bafana nicely. Hugo Broos leads the nation’s fourth World Cup campaign, with all three previous attempts ending at the group stage.
| Country | TV Channel/Live Stream |
|---|---|
| United States | FOX Network, fuboTV, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Tubi, FOX One |
| Canada | TSN+, TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, CTV, RDS App, CTV App, Crave |
| Mexico | Canal 5 Televisa, TUDN, Azteca 7, TUDN En Vivo, Las Estrellas, Nu9ve, Azteca Deportes En Vivo, ViX Mexico |
| United Kingdom | ITV 1, ITVX, STV Scotland, STV Player |
South Korea vs. Czechia
- Location : Zapopan, Mexico
- Stadium : Estadio Akron
- Date : Thursday, June 11 / Friday, June 12
- Kick-off Time : 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT / 3 a.m. BST (June 12)
- Full Match Preview and Predictions
South Korea vs. Czechia isn’t the most glamorous fixture of the group stage, but it will prove definitive for both countries. The Asian giants are slight favorites for this one, and LAFC’s Son Heung-min is key to success in the opening fixture against an awkward and stubborn opponent.
Czechia lost the most recent meeting a decade ago, but much has changed since then. Only qualifying for the tournament via the European playoffs, Miroslav Koubek’s men aren’t expected to make a big impact in North America, but they do have players with significant European pedigree—Patrik Schick, Tomáš Souček and the emerging Pavel Šulc ones to keep an eye on in particular.
| Country | TV Channel / Live Stream |
|---|---|
| United States | Fox Sports 1, fuboTV, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, FOX One |
| Canada | TSN+, TSN1, TSN4, TSN5, RDS, RDS App |
| Mexico | ViX Mexico |
| United Kingdom | ITV 1, ITVX, STV Scotland, STV Player |
