FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: Mexico vs SA in opener

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FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony Live: Mexico take on South Africa in the World Cup opener.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony Live Updates: After a wait of four years, the FIFA World Cup is finally upon us, bigger and (hopefully) better! Co-hosts Mexico take on South Africa in the first game of the 2026 World Cup which will be preceded by an expansive Opening Ceremony.

Mexico will start the game against South Africa as the overwhelming favourites. Because they will have the weight of the 80,824 home supporters behind them at the Estadio Azteca. Another reason why Mexico will have an edge is the stadium itself: games in Mexico will be played at high elevation with the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City being at roughly 7,300 feet.

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South Africa are back in the World Cup fold for the first time since the 2010 edition, which it hosted. Mexico, meanwhile, are carrying the scars of the last edition in Qatar where it failed to advance out of the group stage for the first time since 1978.

Scroll down for our live coverage of the FIFA World Cup Opening Ceremony and the opener between Mexico and South Africa

Never watched football? Start here — A beginner’s guide to FIFA World Cup

Defending champions Argentina work out during a practice session for the FIFA World Cup on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in Kansas City. (AP Photo)

After a wait of four years, it’s here! The FIFA World Cup of 2026 promises to be bigger than ever and a lot messier too as we have witnessed already. It’s the time that football fans briefly change affiliations. Arsenal and Manchester United fans could find themselves uniting in their love for the England national team. Someone sitting in India could find common cause with a Brazilian in the beautiful flair in the way the Brazilian football team plays.

But if you have never watched a FIFA World Cup (and are being forced to do so out of peer pressure), worry not. We have you covered. With our beginner’s guide to the FIFA World Cup, here’s how you can sound much savvier about the spectacle.

READ OUR BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO THE FIFA WORLD CUP

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