The 2026 World Cup will open with a blockbuster curtainraiser .

The tournament will be jointly hosted by three nations for the first time with the United States, Canada, and Mexico all splitting the burden.

But the honour of playing the tournament’s first match has been bestowed upon Mexico, who will face South Africa in the opening fixture of what is already being touted as one of the biggest sporting events in history.

The match is a replay of the now iconic opening game of the 2010 World Cup, which ended 1-1 after goals from Rafael Marquez and Siphiwe Tshabalala, then of Kaizer Chiefs.

That match was played at the Soccer City in Johannesburg and attended by some 84,490 fans. The 2026 edition, though, will be staged at the so-called temple of football, Mexico City’s Estadio A

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