The wait is over. Four years of qualifying drama, tactical planning, and national anticipation culminate today as the expanded 48-team 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. In a poetic twist of football history, co-hosts Mexico will face South Africa in the tournament opener—marking the first time since 2010 that Bafana Bafana have graced world football’s biggest stage, and the first time any stadium has hosted three World Cup opening matches (previously in 1970 and 1986).
The Azteca, perched at 2,240 meters above sea level, has long been a fortress for El Tri. Mexico enters the match ranked 15th in the world, boasting an impeccable unbeaten home record at the venue in World Cup play. Led by captain Edson Álvarez in midfield and veteran striker Raúl Jiménez up front, the hosts carry the weight of a passionate footballing nation desperate for a deep run on home soil.
But standing across the pitch is a South African side that knows something about opening-match magic. In 2010, Bafana Bafana held Mexico to a 1-1 draw in Johannesburg, announcing their return to global football. Now, sixteen years later, they return as clear underdogs but with genuine Premier League talent. Burnley striker Lyle Foster leads the attack, supported by a disciplined defensive unit that coach Hugo Broos has molded into a resilient, counter-attacking machine.
“The altitude is real. The crowd will be deafening. But we did not come all this way to be tourists,” Broos said on the eve of the match. “Mexico feels the pressure. We have nothing to lose—and that makes us dangerous.”
Before the first whistle, a star-studded opening ceremony will electrify the 87,000-seat colossus. Shakira, Burna Boy, and South Africa’s own Tyla are set to perform, alongside the official tournament anthem “DNA”—a genre-defying collaboration between Andrea Bocelli, David Guetta, and Megan Thee Stallion. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. local time. History, as they say, is about to write itself.
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