A wild start in Mexico and a sharp South Korean rally gave the 2026 World Cup an immediate edge, and Canada now enters with the pressure and opportunity that come with hosting.
The first day of the expanded World Cup delivered exactly what a 48-team tournament promises: pace, surprises, and very little room to settle in. Two Group A matches opened the 39-day event across Canada, the United States, and Mexico, and both games sent a clear message that this month will not follow a neat script.
Mexico’s opener had everything
The tournament began at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City before more than 80,000 fans, with a flashy pregame show and a home crowd ready for a landmark night. Mexico’s match against South Africa quickly turned into one of the most eventful openers the competition has seen.
Mexico struck first when Erik Lira forced a turnover from a South African defender, and Julián Quiñones finished calmly through Ronwen Williams’ legs in the ninth minute. Later, Raúl Jiménez added the kind of goal that carried real emotional weight, heading home his first World Cup score after years of recovery following a serious head injury suffered in club play.
The match’s defining feature, though, was the discipline crisis. Brazilian official Wilton Sampaio showed three red cards, the most ever in a World Cup opener and the first time any World Cup match had featured three dismissals in two decades. South Africa lost Sphephelo Sithole before halftime and Themba Zwane after a video review, while Mexico’s César Montes was sent off late for stopping a break. All three are suspended for the next round of group games.
- Mexico earned its first-ever win in a World Cup opening match.
- Javier Aguirre’s team had never previously won its tournament debut.
- Seventeen-year-old Gilberto Mora played a major role in the midfield.
- The 2-0 result gave the hosts a clean-sheet start and real momentum.
South Korea answered with control and nerve
The second Group A match in Guadalajara offered a very different mood. South Korea trailed Czechia, then recovered with patience and precision to win 2-1 at Estadio Akron.
Czechia struck first through captain Ladislav Krejčí, who powered in a header from a long throw in the 59th minute. South Korea responded eight minutes later with the best move of the day. Lee Kang-in slipped a pass to Hwang In-beom, who used a quick feint to create space before finishing into the corner after a long, flowing buildup.
The move covered 25 passes, one of the longest sequences ever to end in a World Cup goal. South Korea then survived another scare when Tomáš Souček appeared to put Czechia ahead again, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside after review. Three minutes later, substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu scored the winner from Hwang’s low cross, despite later saying a fever nearly kept him out of the match. Kim Seung-gyu protected the lead with a late save in stoppage time.
- South Korea finished with more shots and the clearer attacking edge.
- Son Heung-min reached a rare milestone by appearing at a fourth World Cup for his country.
- The win reinforced South Korea’s case as a dangerous dark horse.
What it means for Canada
After one day, Mexico and South Korea sit level on three points, with Mexico ahead on goal difference. South Africa and Czechia now face early pressure, along with the challenge of managing suspensions and regrouping quickly.
For Canada, the opening act was a preview of the energy awaiting its own debut. The national team opens Friday at a sold-out BMO Field in Toronto against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will be the first men’s World Cup match played on Canadian soil. Jesse Marsch’s squad is in Group B with Bosnia, Qatar, and Switzerland, and the rest of its group matches will be played at BC Place in Vancouver.
Opening day was a reminder that this World Cup will likely be shaped by volatility as much as talent. Red cards, comeback goals, and a high-pressure finish all arrived before Canada even took the field, setting a sharp tone for the host nation’s long-awaited entrance.