Forty-eight teams. There are 3 host countries. There are 16 stadiums. And it lasts for 39 days. The 23rd Men’s World Cup is about to get underway, with the opening ceremony taking place today at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, ahead of a match between co-hosts Mexico and South Africa. With Shakira and Burna Boy performing the official national anthem “Die Die” at the ceremony, FIFA will no doubt be hoping that the world will finally start talking about soccer after the eventful preparations leading up to the tournament.
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world cup match preview
Mexico, one of three co-hosting countries along with the United States and Canada, will look to end the World Cup opening day curse today when they face South Africa in the first leg of the tournament at the recently renovated Azteca Stadium. It was a repeat of the first match in Johannesburg in 2010, which ended 1-1.
It was a relative success for a country that has failed to win many opening games. “We have to break that trend,” coach Javier Aguirre said at a press conference Wednesday.
El Tri enters the tournament looking to build on their winning streak in the warm-up and will be hoping that veteran forward Raul Jimenez can help them achieve glory for their homeland. Fans will also have high hopes for 17-year-old midfielder Gilberto Mora, who is the youngest player at the World Cup and has the potential to break out.
Mexico has only reached the final eight twice, in 1970 and 1986, when they were the hosts. At the Qatar tournament four years ago, they were eliminated from the group stage.
Aguirre will be facing a familiar foe in the opposing dugout. South African coach Hugo Bruce was part of the Belgian team that lost 2-1 to Aguirre’s El Tri side in 1986. Bruce led South Africa to their first World Cup in 16 years.
The second match of the day will feature the other two teams in Group A, South Korea and the Czech Republic. South Korean star Son Heung-min, widely considered Asia’s best player in recent years, will be playing in his fourth World Cup after a disappointing season with Los Angeles FC. Korea should be wary of the threat of Czech set pieces. In qualifying, the two-time runners-up (as Czechoslovakia in 1934 and 1962) scored more set-piece goals (seven of them headed) than any other European team.
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The World Cup is finally here! Three and a half years after Lionel Messi and Argentina brought home the trophy in Qatar, today El Tri and South Africa’s Bafana Bafana begin their match at Mexico City’s legendary Estadio Azteca, followed by South Korea and the Czech Republic.
Before the match begins, there will be an opening ceremony performance by Shakira and Burna Boy, 32 years after Diana Ross committed the most legendary penalty mistake in World Cup history at Chicago’s Soldier Field. We can only hope that the Mexican musical spectacle will be a memorable one.
For more World Cup coverage delivered straight to your inbox each morning, subscribe to our Men in Blades newsletter. We cover every match, every goal and every jubilant moment from football’s biggest spectacle.
Plus, the Men in Blazers will travel from host city to host city for Matchday Live! Just before the biggest game of the summer, we’ll take to the stage with our celebrity guests in front of thousands of fans. Find your city here. Next destination is Los Angeles. There, our own Roger Bennett and Rory Smith will be joined by actor Rob Mack, Larry Nance Jr. of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavs, and former USMNT player Kyle Beckerman. Join us there tomorrow.
Player profile
In the lead up to the 2026 World Cup, we will be counting down the 26 players to watch. Today’s entry is Argentina’s Lionel Messi.
Messi is without a doubt the best player to ever step on a soccer field. He won the Ballon d’Or eight times with Barcelona, won La Liga 10 times, won the Champions League four times and scored 672 goals, the most ever for a single club. Internationally, he led Argentina to victory in the 2022 World Cup and paced Argentina with 116 career goals. In the final against France, Messi scored the opening goal from a penalty kick, then added another goal in extra time to lead Argentina to victory.
Simply put, the only thing that can stop Messi at the 2026 World Cup is father time. At 38 years old, he’s still a high-level player, but not the player he was in his prime.
Argentina, ranked third in the world by FIFA, need Messi’s elite skills to maintain their status as the best in the world. He should sit up top with Julian Alvarez and link up well with midfielders Enzo Fernandes and Alexis Mac Allister. Argentina is aiming to become the first team to win the World Cup since Brazil in 1962. Thanks to Messi’s playmaking ability and incredible scoring ability, he could help them do just that.
what we see
World cup!
Enjoy the live blog of today’s opening game.
All times are Eastern Time:
3:00 p.m.: Mexico vs. South Africa (Group A): June 11th at 3:00 p.m. ET on Fox, Telemundo, Peacock 10:00 p.m.: South Korea vs. Czech Republic (Group A): June 11th at 10:00 p.m. ET on FS1, Telemundo, Peacock
