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Mexico’s historic Azteca Stadium to kickoff World Cup opener: All to know

Azteca Stadium to kickoff World Cup opener: All to know *You can follow the action on Al Jazeera’s dedicated [World Cup 2026](/fifa-world-cup-2026/) page with all the latest news, match

Mexico vs South Africa: World Cup 2026 opening game – teams, start, lineups

match of the tournament is huge in itself, to make things more special, the gigantic Estadio Azteca is set to make history as the first stadium to host three FIFA World Cup

From near death to World Cup hero - Jimenez's tears for Mexico

Azteca Stadium in the first match of the 2026 World Cup. Jimenez, who had connected

World Cup opening ceremony: Who’s performing, when it starts, how to watch

match following the celebration in Los Angeles. ## When and where are the World Cup opening ceremonies? ### Mexico City (June 11) Mexico will launch the tournament at Mexico City Stadium (formerly known as the Estadio Azteca

World Cup Day 1: Schedule, predictions, opening ceremony and what to watch

Azteca and removing some tournament installations. ![Police block an avenue to prevent protesting teachers from marching to the stadium that will host the opening match of the FIFA World Cup

What happened, and who performed at the World Cup 2026 opening ceremony?

Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. The iconic World Cup venue was a sea of dark green and yellow jerseys as fans eagerly awaited the tournament opener between hosts Mexico and South Africa on Thursday

Infantino could have stood up for the World Cup - but he said 'chill, relax'

World Cup in recent days has been insignificant.** "Just, you know, chill, relax," Infantino told a news conference at the Azteca Stadium on the eve of Thursday's opening match

Who will win the World Cup? BBC pundits make their predictions

World Cup starts in Mexico City's Azteca Stadium on Thursday and finishes in the MetLife Stadium near New York City on 19 July.** Forty-eight teams will contest the tournament, which will be played

What are World Cup 2026 national team base camps and their locations?

World Cup. The training centre not only doubles as the team’s accommodation but is conveniently just 15 minutes away from the iconic Azteca Stadium, where they play South Africa and Czechia. Aside from

Thursday briefing: What would it take for streets to be safe for all?

match against Croatia on Wednesday. **Portugal prepped** | Cristiano Ronaldo is preparing for what must surely be his final World Cup. The 41-year-old is the second oldest player at the tournament, and his nation

Which World Cup 2026 stadiums will host matches in US, Canada and Mexico?

Azteca – now known as the Mexico City Stadium – will make history as the first to host three World Cups after welcoming the likes of Pele and Diego Maradona across two thrilling finals

Who are Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez, Mexico’s opening match scorers?

Azteca Stadium in Mexico City turned into a cauldron of noise and celebration when Quinones earned the honour of becoming the opening goal scorer of the World Cup in front of adoring home fans

Jimenez and Quinones net as Mexico beat South Africa in World Cup opener

World Cup party with [a dominant 2-0 victory](/sports/liveblog/2026/6/11/live-mexico-vs-south-africa-world-cup-2026) over nine-man South Africa as the biggest edition of the global footballing showpiece kicked off at the iconic Estadio Azteca. Julian Quinones scored

Uneasy neighbours: Can three World Cup hosts put differences aside for a month?

World Cup ever.'" The leader of each nation may want to use the tournament not only to show they can get along with their neighbours, but to prove a point to those who criticise them

Why the economics makes this the craziest world cup ever

match days from another country.** Add to that the quite astonishing coincidence of the US, Canada and Mexico, the three co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup, being in the midst of an epic trade

Any early shocks? Sutton's World Cup 2026 score predictions - opening group games

match, or go for a draw. [**PLAY WORLD CUP PREDICTOR HERE**](/sport/football/predictor/mwc2026) ## GROUP A **Sutton's pre-tournament picks:** South Korea (winners) and Mexico (runners-up). Czech Republic to finish third and South Africa fourth

Ranking the World Cup 2026 groups: Which teams are favourites to progress?

World Cup group stage exits. Ecuador will be looking to put on a strong showing this summer after finishing second in South American qualifying to Argentina. They have Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo amongst their ranks

From FA ban to double Euros winners - Lionesses reach 500 games

World Cup in Brazil, with England keen to win more silverware in the famous white shirt. But regardless of the result, the match will be etched in history as a reminder

World Cup kicks off in Mexico with Shakira, local performers and vibrant fans

Azteca stadium, to protests around the event, and the cartel violence seen in Mexico only months ago. On Thursday, those issues appeared to have been pushed to the side as football takes centre stage

Why super-sized and politicised World Cup comes at a cost

Azteca is ready to make history as the first venue to host the start of three different World Cups. It is a tantalising prospect. But just as in the neighbouring US, where around