The 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway on Thursday as co-hosts Mexico face stiff battle against South Africa in the tournament’s opening match at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
The Group A encounter marks the beginning of the biggest World Cup in history, with 48 nations competing across Mexico, the United States and Canada over the next 39 days.
Kick-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. local time, with over 80,000 fans expected to fill the historic stadium. Estadio Azteca will become the first venue to host the opening match of three FIFA World Cups, having previously staged the tournament openers in 1970 and 1986.
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The fixture also revives memories of the 2010 World Cup curtain-raiser in Johannesburg, where Mexico and South Africa played out a memorable 1-1 draw in the first World Cup held on African soil.
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Mexico eye strong start on home soil
Mexico enter the tournament as one of the favourites to progress from Group A, which also includes South Korea and the Czech Republic. Ranked 14th in the world, El Tri will be aiming to take advantage of home support and extend an impressive eight-match unbeaten run.
Head coach Javier Aguirre’s side arrives in a confident mood after securing warm-up victories over Ghana, Australia and Serbia.
South Africa target opening-day upset
South Africa, meanwhile, returns to the World Cup for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2010 and will be making only its fourth appearance on football’s biggest stage. Despite being ranked 60th in the world, Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos believes his side can challenge the hosts.
“For us, it will be a fantastic experience,” Broos said ahead of the match. “It is very important that we stick to our game plan and focus on what happens on the field.”
South Africa’s preparations were affected by visa delays involving several members of the travelling delegation, but the team will be hoping to frustrate Mexico just as they did 16 years ago.
History favours Mexico
Historically, Mexico holds a slight advantage in meetings between the two nations, having won two of their previous four encounters. South Africa has one victory, while the teams shared the spoils in their famous World Cup clash in Johannesburg.
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