World Cup 2026 live: Czech Republic and South Korea face off after Shakira lights up Mexico’s opening ceremony

When Anthony Gordon joined Barcelona, the surprisingly good Spanish he spoke at his unveiling was, he said, a product of his dream to play for them. There are times when it seems his rise has been underpinned by ambition.

Gordon may be a great self-improver, the scrawny kid who can hassles and harry defenders. But he has also coveted some of the trappings of stardom: the No 10 shirt, the penalties, the move to the glamour clubs.

England captain Harry Kane says the campaign in the United States, Canada and Mexico is ‘probably the best opportunity’ for him to win the World Cup.

Kane enters the tournament on the back of a superb domestic season in which he scored 61 goals and created seven assists for Bayern Munich. Those stats, alongside triumphs in the Bundesliga and the DFB-Cup, make Kane a serious contender for the Ballon d’Or but he will need a strong World Cup campaign to remain in contention.

The Wolves striker, starting in the World Cup for the first time, scored his first goal in the tournament with a powerful header.

Mexico got the World Cup party started as the co-hosts ​swept away South Africa 2-0 on Thursday in an encounter with three red cards as the quadrennial football extravaganza got underway at the Azteca stadium.

The World Cup is upon us and while excitement abounds, plenty of people are still wondering how they can get in on the action from home.

South Africa’s campaign at the World Cup 2026 got off to the worst possible start as they were beaten by co-hosts Mexico and ended the match with nine men following two straight red cards.

Both came in the second half with Bafana Bafana already losing 1-0 thanks to Julian Quinones’ goal in the eight minute of the game. Sphephelo ‘Yaya’ Sithole was the first player to be dismissed after catching Brian Gutierrez on the edge of the South African penalty area and denying a goal scoring opportunity.

The World Cup will feature a ‘fan-centric’ national anthem ceremony before the kick-off of every match.

Every player selected in the matchday squad will now be involved, not just the starting line-ups, allowing them to step into the spotlight and group together around the centre circle banner before the national anthems.

Tonight’s first match of the 2026 World Cup saw Mexico swept South Africa aside to take the win at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

Before the game a number of musical acts kicked off the opening ceremony including Shakira and Burna Boy with their anthem ‘Dai Dai’.

As the 48 teams gradually arrived in North America, every image further setting a grand stage, a thought struck managers like Thomas Tuchel and Carlo Ancelotti.

They were right to make the sheer scale of this World Cup more of a priority in planning. “United 2026” – as it is officially known – is enormous in every sense, from size to serious issues.

That only deepens the distinctive challenge a World Cup poses, and only elevates the meaning of victory.

Argentina have moved back to the top of the World Rankings on the eve of the start of the World Cup.

They are the reigning world champions having triumphed in the 2022 tournament and will be seeking to back up that performance again this time around.