World Cup opens in Mexico City as 48-team tournament begins

North America took center stage as the 2026 FIFA World Cup opened in Mexico City, turning the first kickoff of the expanded tournament into a public test of how Mexico, the United States and Canada handle a 48-team event spread across three countries. The competition began with Mexico facing South Africa at Mexico City Stadium, launching 104 matches across 16 host cities under intense global scrutiny.

FIFA’s new format was built for scale, but also for logistics. The governing body said the schedule was designed to reduce travel and protect player rest and recovery, a crucial concern in a tournament that stretches from Mexico City to Toronto, Los Angeles and New York/New Jersey. The opening day also carried symbolic weight, with ceremonies planned across the three host nations as FIFA used the first hours of the tournament to showcase coordination as much as celebration.

The host countries’ first matches were staged in their own nations, underscoring the regional nature of the event. Canada was set to open against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto on Friday, June 12, while the United States was scheduled to face Paraguay in Los Angeles the same day. Mexico’s opening match came first, giving the country the spotlight on Thursday, June 11, 2026, as the world’s attention shifted to North America.

The tournament will run through July 19, when the final is scheduled for New York/New Jersey at MetLife Stadium. That closing match will cap a monthlong examination of whether the first-ever 48-team men’s World Cup can move seamlessly across borders while balancing the demands of security, infrastructure and competitive fairness.

For FIFA and the three host nations, the stakes extend beyond the scoreline. The opening in Mexico City marked the start of a showcase meant to project confidence, competence and regional unity, while proving that North America can deliver a mega-event on a scale the men’s World Cup has never before attempted.