The 2026 World Cup begins where two of the most iconic World Cups in history began: at Estadio Azteca, in front of more than 80,000. Co-hosts Mexico open the tournament against South Africa on Thursday 11 June, the first of 104 matches across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Why: Mexico are the heavy home favourite at one of the most intimidating venues in world football, with capacity 87,523 and altitude over 2,200 metres above sea level. El Tri have won 8 of their last 10 matches at home in all competitions, scoring at least once in nine of them. South Africa qualified well but enter as massive underdogs in their fourth World Cup appearance. The 1.65 home price still leaves value when stacked against Mexico's home record and the altitude effect on Bafana Bafana's first match.
Jiménez scored 9 of Mexico's 22 goals in 2025, including braces in both the Nations League semi-final and final. He sits just behind Jared Borgetti's 46-goal Mexico record with 44 international goals and is one strong tournament from a name in El Tri history. Typical Anytime price around 2.10.
The match is at Estadio Azteca, the spiritual home of Mexican football and one of the most decorated venues in the sport's history. With a capacity of 87,523 it is the largest stadium in Latin America and the eighth-largest football stadium in the world.
The ground has hosted the World Cup final on two separate occasions: 1970 (Brazil 4-1 Italy, Pelé's farewell World Cup) and 1986 (Argentina 3-2 West Germany). It is also where Diego Maradona scored the most controversial goal in World Cup history (the "Hand of God") and the most celebrated (the "Goal of the Century") in the same 1986 quarter-final against England.
On Thursday it adds another first to its CV: the first stadium in history to host three different World Cup opening matches. No other venue has hosted more than one.
Altitude is the other story. At 2,240 metres above sea level, Estadio Azteca is among the highest top-flight football grounds anywhere. Visiting national teams typically arrive several days early to acclimatise. South Africa do not have that luxury here: their training base is on the Mexican coast and they fly into the capital the day before kick-off, into thinner air than any of their players have played in this season.
This is Mexico's third time hosting the World Cup, after 1970 and 1986. No other nation in history has hosted the tournament three times. Italy, France, Brazil, Germany and others sit on two; only Mexico goes to three.
The 1970 tournament reshaped the global game. Brazil's team of Pelé, Tostão, Rivellino, Gérson and Jairzinho is widely considered the greatest national team ever assembled, and they swept aside Italy in the final at Estadio Azteca. It was the first World Cup broadcast in colour, the first with substitutions, the first with yellow and red cards.
The 1986 tournament was Maradona's World Cup. Argentina's run from group stage to title, anchored by Maradona's quarter-final masterclass against England in this same stadium, remains one of the defining individual performances of the modern era.
2026 puts a different kind of pressure on Mexico. As co-hosts with the United States and Canada they have the larger spotlight but only 13 home fixtures (their three group games plus any knockout matches at Mexican venues). The opener is the moment to set the tone: a host nation crashing out early at home is the worst possible scenario, and South Africa, as a winnable but not trivial fixture, is exactly the test they need to navigate cleanly.
Álvarez took the Mexico armband under Jaime Lozano and kept it through Javier Aguirre's return as manager. He is the squad's spine: a ball-winning midfielder with the positional intelligence to break up attacks and the leadership to set the tone in dressing rooms.
Club career: raised at Club América, sold to Ajax in 2019 where he won the Eredivisie and Dutch Cup, moved to West Ham in 2023 (Europa Conference League winner), and now plays for Fenerbahçe in the Turkish Super Lig. His passing range and tackling stats are the kind of unflashy numbers that turn knockout matches.
At 26 he is entering his second World Cup as a senior international and his first as captain on home soil. Aguirre has been clear that the team plays through him.
Williams was named Bafana Bafana captain by head coach Hugo Broos in August 2021 and has not looked back. He plays his club football at Mamelodi Sundowns, the dominant force in South African football, and is the heartbeat of the national team.
His defining moment came at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations: in the quarter-final shootout against Cape Verde, Williams saved four penalties to send South Africa to the semi-finals. Bafana ultimately finished third, their best AFCON result since 2000.
This World Cup carries personal weight for Williams. He has spoken publicly about playing for his late brother's dream, who passed away before South Africa qualified. The team rallied around him during a difficult three-month spell. He leads them out at the Azteca as the experienced, calm head between the posts that Bafana need against Mexican pressure.
Mexico arrive in a strong run: 2025 CONCACAF Nations League champions with Raúl Jiménez collecting the top-scorer award. They have won 7 of their last 10 in all competitions and have been clinical in front of goal, scoring 22 across the year with Jiménez accounting for nearly half. Defensively they keep things tight at home, where they conceded just 4 goals across 6 fixtures in 2025.
South Africa qualified out of CAF Group C, finishing top of a section that included Benin and Rwanda. They were the surprise third-placed finishers at AFCON 2023, their best continental result since 2000, and Hugo Broos has built a disciplined, low-block team that gets the best out of forwards like Lyle Foster, Iqraam Rayners and Percy Tau. Their challenge here is environmental as much as tactical: this is a side built to absorb pressure and counter, and the Azteca crowd plus altitude is the toughest opening test imaginable.
Based on each side's most recent friendly. Final XIs confirm one hour before kick-off; this page will update.
| Date | Match | Venue | Preview |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Jun | Mexico vs South Africa | Mexico City | This page |
| 11 Jun | South Korea vs Czechia | Guadalajara | Preview → |
| 18 Jun | Czechia vs South Africa | Atlanta | Preview → |
| 18 Jun | Mexico vs South Korea | Guadalajara | Preview → |
| 24 Jun | Czechia vs Mexico | Mexico City | Preview → |
| 24 Jun | South Africa vs South Korea | Guadalajara | Preview → |
All four teams, qualification scenarios and BetBot predictions: See full Group A overview →
Thursday 11 June 2026 at 21:00 CEST (20:00 BST, 15:00 ET, 14:00 local Mexico City). Estadio Azteca, Mexico City. The match opens the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
It is the first stadium in history to host three World Cup opening matches (1970, 1986, 2026). The 1970 final saw Brazil's iconic 4-1 win over Italy with Pelé. The 1986 final was Argentina 3-2 West Germany. The 1986 quarter-final between Argentina and England produced Maradona's "Hand of God" and "Goal of the Century". Capacity 87,523.
Three times: 1970, 1986 and 2026 (as co-host with the USA and Canada). No other nation in history has hosted the World Cup three times.
Defensive midfielder Edson Álvarez (Fenerbahçe). Former Club América, Ajax and West Ham. Captain under Aguirre.
Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns). Named captain by Hugo Broos in August 2021. Famous for saving four penalties in the AFCON 2023 quarter-final shootout vs Cape Verde.
Mexico to win at 1.65, with a +18% edge over the bookmaker's implied probability based on home form, altitude and South Africa's first-match logistics. Anytime goalscorer pick: Raúl Jiménez at around 2.10. See /tips-today for the full daily list and /scorer-today for the bot's auto-generated scorer pick.
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