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The 2026 FIFA World Cup got underway on Thursday, with Mexico beating South Africa 2-0 in Mexico City. But while the action heated up on the pitch, millions of fans across three continents missed the opening ceremony and the first match thanks to major streaming failures on the platforms that held exclusive broadcast rights.
In Mexico, the issues started just before the opening ceremony. Vix Premium, TelevisaUnivision’s streaming service and the only place in Mexico to watch every World Cup match, crashed right before things kicked off. People trying to log in hit error messages, and even those who’d paid for the special World Cup Pass couldn’t get in. Vix acknowledged the problem about an hour before the match, calling it a “technical glitch” and promising they were working on it.
That didn’t stop the flood of complaints. Social media and DownDetector were swamped with frustrated messages, and many angry subscribers immediately demanded refunds after missing the big start. The crash came just days after Vix announced a new partnership with YouTube’s Primetime Channels—so much for perfect timing.
Things weren’t much better in India. Zee5, the exclusive World Cup broadcaster owned by Zee Entertainment, struggled to deliver a watchable stream as millions of fans stayed up late for kickoff. Streams kept freezing or buffering, people couldn’t log into their accounts, servers glitched right at the worst moments, and the promised 4K option never showed up.
To make matters worse, Zee5 pulled a last-minute switch on users. The company had advertised the Rs 799 World Cup package as good for up to three devices, but suddenly users found themselves restricted to just one. After an uproar on social media, Zee5 walked it back and restored the original three-device benefit. Still, for many, the damage was done. “Indian football fans stayed up through the night for the return of the FIFA World Cup, only to find themselves battling buffering screens, app crashes and streaming complaints,” summed up India Today.
Down in South Africa, people tuning in to SABC Plus also got a nasty surprise. SABC, the public broadcaster, had landed free-to-air rights and promised coverage on SABC 3 and their streaming platform. But SABC Plus crashed just before kickoff, leaving fans cut off from Bafana Bafana’s first World Cup in 16 years. People ran into login and authentication errors and just plain couldn’t access the stream. The broadcaster admitted the problem on social media, saying their teams were “working around the clock” to fix it. That wasn’t much comfort after South Africa picked up two red cards in a frustrating 2-0 loss, in a game that saw three red cards—a record for a World Cup opener.
Here’s how the night broke down:
Date: Thursday, June 11, 2026
Venue: Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
Final Score: Mexico 2-0 South Africa
Red Cards: Three total (a new record)
South Africa: Two red cards
These glitches were especially embarrassing since all three broadcasters had recently boasted about major upgrades. Zee Entertainment had promised their system could handle “millions of concurrent users” just days before the match, and Vix had just launched a big partnership to strengthen their coverage.
In the end, none of that mattered. The night that should’ve been all about football ended up clouded with outage rage, refund requests, and social media storms, leaving fans in Mexico, India, and South Africa more frustrated than festive.
The World Cup rolls on until July 19, with 104 matches split among Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Fans are hoping for world-class football—and a smoother streaming ride.
English (US) ·