⚽ Opening Day Is Here: Azteca's Third Opener, Shakira's Return & Son's Last Dance

It starts today.

After three weeks of warm-ups, visa dramas, a teachers' protest blocking the roads to the Azteca, and the whole world toggling between Shakira rehearsal footage and injury bulletins — the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11 with two matches in Group A that could shape everything that follows.

The Schedule

Match 1: Mexico 🇲🇽 vs South Africa 🇿🇦 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City · 3:00 PM ET / 2:00 PM CT Opening Match — Group A

Match 2: South Korea 🇰🇷 vs Czechia 🇨🇿 Estadio Akron, Guadalajara · 10:00 PM ET / 9:00 PM CT Group A

The Story Behind the Story

Azteca writes history — again. No stadium has ever hosted three World Cup opening matches. The 1970 opener. The 1986 opener. Now 2026. For Mexico City, this isn't just a football game — it's a declaration.

The opening ceremony is electric. Shakira and Burna Boy headline, premiering the official anthem "Dai Dai" live for the first time. J Balvin, Maná, Tyla, Alejandro Fernández, and Lila Downs round out the lineup. Ceremony starts at 11:30 AM local time — about 90 minutes before kickoff.

The protest backdrop nobody in global media is ignoring. The CNTE teachers' union has been camped near the Azteca for months, blocking roads and threatening stadium access. Their slogan: "If there's no solution, the ball won't roll." The pension dispute started in 2007 but boiled over in 2026 with the World Cup as leverage. FIFA confirmed the show goes on — but the optics of a police cordon around the world's most iconic stadium for a football opener is a story in its own right.

South Africa comes full circle. Sixteen years after Siphiwe Tshabalala's worldie opened the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg — the same two teams, the same opening slot. Hugo Broos's Bafana Bafana flew into Mexico two weeks early to acclimatize to Azteca's altitude (7,200 feet above sea level). That counts for something.

Stars to Watch

Son Heung-min (South Korea, 34) — At 132 caps and 51 international goals, this is almost certainly his final World Cup. Tonight in Guadalajara, Son faces Czechia in a match neither side can afford to lose. A nation of 50 million people is watching.

Patrik Schick vs Kim Min-jae — Czechia's centre-forward has scored in six of his seven major tournament appearances, with three of his last five qualifying goals headers. Facing him: Kim Min-jae, the Bayern Munich rock who kept eight clean sheets in 30 Bundesliga games this season. This duel alone is worth the 10 PM airtime.

Raúl Jiménez & Santiago Giménez — Mexico's strike partnership enters the tournament on a high. Jiménez is the experienced target man; Giménez (AC Milan) is the clinical finisher. El Tri want to break their infamous quinto partido curse — no Mexican side has made a quarterfinal at a World Cup since 1986. Tonight is match one.

Oswin Appollis — South Africa's counter-attacking pace weapon. If Mexico overcommit, he's the player who can punish it.

Internet Reacts

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Follow along all day. Two matches, one group, four nations with everything to play for.

#WorldCup2026 #OpeningDay #MexicoVsSouthAfrica #SouthKoreaVsCzechia

⚽ Opening Day: Azteca's Third Opener, Shakira + Burna Boy & Son's Last Dance

⚽ Opening Day Is Here: Azteca's Third Opener, Shakira's Return & Son's Last Dance

The Schedule

The Story Behind the Story

Stars to Watch

Internet Reacts

Comments