World Cup 2026 kicks off tonight: Mexico vs South Africa opens the first 48-team tournament across three host nations

The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins tonight, Thursday 11 June, with host nation Mexico facing South Africa at the historic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The opening match kicks off at 22:00 local time, marking the start of a tournament that will run through to the final on Sunday 19 July.

A tournament of firsts

For the first time, the World Cup will be co-hosted by three nations — the United States, Mexico, and Canada — spanning seven time zones and 16 stadiums. The tournament has expanded to 48 teams, up from 32, increasing the total number of matches from 64 to 104. A total of 1,248 players and 48 coaches will participate, alongside a larger pool of referees. The opening ceremony is scheduled to begin 90 minutes before kick-off and will last approximately 16 minutes and 30 seconds, featuring performances by Shakira, Burna Boy, J Balvin, Maná, and other artists.

The opening match and Group A

Mexico, competing in their 18th World Cup finals, enter the match as favourites in Group A. Coached by Javier Aguirre, the squad includes experienced players such as Raúl Jiménez and goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. South Africa return to the tournament for the first time since hosting in 2010. The two nations previously met in the opening match of the 2010 World Cup, drawing 1-1. The group also includes South Korea, led by Son Heung-min, and the Czech Republic, who return after a 12-year absence. South Korea will face the Czech Republic in the group's other match on Friday 12 June at 05:00 Greek time.

Tournament structure and schedule

The group stage runs from 11 to 27 June, with the 48 teams divided into 12 groups of four. The top two from each group advance, joined by the eight best third-placed teams. A new round of 32 knockout stage has been added, scheduled from 28 June to 3 July. The round of 16 follows from 4 to 7 July, with quarter-finals from 9 to 11 July. The semi-finals will be played on 14 and 15 July, the third-place match on Saturday 18 July, and the final on Sunday 19 July.

Broadcast coverage in Greece

Greek public broadcaster ERT will carry all 104 matches live and exclusively across ERT1, ERT2 SPOR, and the digital platform ERTFLIX. Coverage begins with a pre-game show at 20:00 Greek time, hosted by Periklis Makris, Panagiotis Kouloumbis, Takis Fyssas, and Demis Nikolaidis. Due to the time difference with North America, most matches will air in Greece during late-night and early-morning hours.

Early fixtures to watch

After the opening match, Canada make their tournament debut as co-hosts on Friday 12 June at 22:00 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto. The United States, the third host nation, enter the competition on Saturday 13 June at 04:00 Greek time against Paraguay in Los Angeles. Defending champions Argentina will begin their campaign on Wednesday 17 June against Algeria, while England face Croatia later the same evening. Brazil meet Morocco on 14 June in New York, and Germany take on Curaçao the same day in Houston.