2026 World Cup: Azteca hosts historic opening match as 48-team tournament begins across North America
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| Mexico vs South Africa FIFA World Cup 2026 fixture scheduled in Mexico City at 21:00 on 11 June 2026 |
ROME - The 2026 World Cup is ready to make history with the first-ever 48-team edition and an opening ceremony set to capture global attention. From the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, the richest FIFA World Cup in terms of events and symbolism will officially begin. With international stars, record-breaking ticket prices and the debate surrounding Italy's absence, anticipation is growing for a tournament that promises unprecedented numbers. Here is everything there is to know about the event that will bring the football world to a standstill.
The stadium symbolic of the history of world football: the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City
World Cup 2026, it all begins at the Azteca: kick-off times, ceremony stars and the Italy case. The final countdown has begun. On Thursday 11 June 2026, the curtain will officially rise on the 2026 World Cup, the biggest FIFA World Cup ever. For the first time, 48 national teams will take part in a tournament hosted by three countries: Mexico, the United States of America and Canada. The opening match will be played in the stadium symbolic of the history of world football: the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, renamed by FIFA as "Mexico City Stadium" for the competition. The venue will enter football legend by becoming the first stadium to host an opening World Cup match on three occasions, following the 1970 and 1986 editions. Opening Group A will be hosts Mexico against South Africa, in a match that inevitably recalls the 2010 precedent, when the two national teams opened the South African World Cup with the 1-1 draw made famous by Siphiwe Tshabalala's goal.
The opening ceremony will begin approximately 90 minutes before kick-off
Experienced manager Javier Aguirre will still be on the Mexican bench, while South Africa will be led by head coach Hugo Broos. It is a match rich in historical and symbolic references right on the Azteca pitch. Opening ceremony: a global spectacle at the Azteca. The opening ceremony will begin approximately 90 minutes before kick-off, scheduled for 1:00 pm local time, 9:00 pm in Italy. The event in Mexico City will be the first of the major celebratory events organised by FIFA, with further events also planned in Toronto and Los Angeles during the opening days of the tournament. According to previews released by the organisers, some of the most famous international and Latin music stars will take to the stage. Artists expected to perform include J Balvin, Maná, Tyla, Belinda, Danny Ocean, Alejandro Fernández, Lila Downs and Los Ángeles Azules, who will feature prominently in the musical soundtrack of the 2026 World Cup.
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Where to watch the 2026 World Cup on TV and streaming
The event will be watched by more than one billion viewers worldwide. The 2022 World Cup final was watched by around 1.5 billion people globally. As far as Italy is concerned, television coverage of the 2026 World Cup has now been finalised and the remaining details regarding the full TV and streaming schedule will be officially announced in the coming hours. Particular attention will be focused on the evening matches and the opening game at the Azteca, eagerly awaited by millions of Italian fans despite the absence of the Azzurri. Tickets almost impossible to find: extremely high prices on the secondary market. Tickets for the most anticipated matches of the tournament are now almost impossible to obtain. FIFA has already completed most phases of the official sales process and prices on the secondary market continue to rise, especially for the opening match on 11 June at the Azteca and the final on 19 July at the MetLife Stadium in New York.
Italy will remain outside the competition in 2026 as well
Meanwhile, online some tickets are being resold for more than 10,000 dollars in the most exclusive sections, confirming the enormous global interest surrounding the competition. The "Italy case": why rumours of a possible reinstatement continue to circulate. With the World Cup now approaching, rumours and theories continue to circulate online regarding a possible sensational reinstatement of Italy. FIFA, however, has never considered changes to the line-up of already qualified teams and, barring exceptional events, the Azzurri will remain outside the competition in 2026 as well. The format of the 2026 World Cup, structured into 12 groups of four teams, does not provide for automatic reinstatements based on the FIFA rankings. For Italy, barring sensational twists, the tournament will therefore have to be followed from in front of the television.
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