Tickets to the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup may be scarce and very expensive, but there are several ways soccer fans can watch all 104 matches scheduled across the United States, Mexico and Canada, that started Thursday, June 11.
“Imagine, with this World Cup, a Super Bowl every single day for five weeks,” U.S. team captain Tim Ream told CBS News, adding, “It’s not an accident that 5 billion people will be watching.”
FOX and NBCUniversal have the broadcasting rights for the 78 games being played in the U.S., as well as the 13 apiece in Canada and Mexico. A record of 40 matches, or more than a third of the World Cup, will air during primetime on FOX, according to the broadcaster.
For Spanish-language broadcasts, every single match will air on NBC-owned Telemundo and Universo.
All matches will also be available for on-demand streaming on several platforms. Here’s what to know.
How to watch the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup
Viewers with a TV antenna, or access to the FOX network channel through a smart TV, can watch 70 of the matches for free. The rest will air on Fox Sports 1, a cable channel.
Ninety-two of the 104 matches can be watched for free in Spanish on Telemundo. The rest of the matches in Spanish will air on Universo, a cable network.
For cord-cutters, the World Cup opening match on June 11 between Mexico and South Africa, as well as the United States’ opening match against Paraguay on June 12, will be available to stream for free on Tubi, an ad-supported streaming service owned by Fox.
All matches are available to stream through FOX One, the FOX Sports app, while Peacock has exclusive Spanish-language streaming rights. All matches will also be available on other streaming providers like YouTube TV, Fubo or Hulu + Live TV, for a subscription fee.
You can follow World Cup news and highlights throughout the tournament at CBSSports.com.
U.S. Men’s 2026 World Cup schedule
The U.S. World Cup team will play three matches in the group stage. Their Group D opponents are Paraguay, Australia and Turkey, in that order.
Their first match kicks off at 9 p.m. ET on Friday, June 12, against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The U.S. has a 3 p.m. ET kickoff against Australia at Lumen Seattle on Friday, June 19, and then a 10 p.m. ET start on Thursday, June 25, back at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood against Turkey.
2026 World Cup broadcast schedule
The tournament begins on June 11, with co-host Mexico playing the opener in Mexico City against South Africa. The U.S. and Canada will play their first games a day later in Los Angeles and Toronto, respectively. The group stage runs until June 27.
Here is the broadcast schedule:
June 11
Mexico vs. South Africa (Group A) — Mexico City
South Korea vs. Czechia (Group A) — Guadalajara
June 12
Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group B): 1-1 draw
9 p.m. ET — USA vs. Paraguay (Group D) — Inglewood [FOX, Telemundo]
June 13
3 p.m. ET — Qatar vs. Switzerland (Group B) — San Francisco Bay Area [FOX, Telemundo]
6 p.m. ET — Brazil vs. Morocco (Group C) — New York/New Jersey [FS1, Telemundo]
9 p.m. ET — Haiti vs. Scotland (Group C) — Boston [FS1, Telemundo]
June 14
12:00 a.m. ET — Australia vs. Turkey (Group D) — Vancouver [FS1, Telemundo]
1:00 p.m. ET — Germany vs. Curaçao (Group E) — Houston [FOX, Telemundo]
4:00 p.m. ET — Netherlands vs. Japan (Group F) — Dallas [FOX, Telemundo]
7:00 p.m. ET — Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador (Group E) — Philadelphia [FS1, Telemundo]
10:00 p.m. ET — Sweden vs. Tunisia (Group F) — Monterrey [FS1, Telemundo]
June 15
12 p.m. ET — Spain vs. Cape Verde (Group H) — Atlanta [FOX, Telemundo]
3 p.m. ET — Belgium vs. Egypt (Group G) — Seattle [FOX, Telemundo]
6 p.m. ET — Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay (Group H) — Miami [FS1, Telemundo]
9 p.m. ET — Iran vs. New Zealand (Group G) — Inglewood [FS1, Telemundo]
June 16
3 p.m. ET — France vs. Senegal (Group I) — New York/New Jersey [FOX, Telemundo]
6 p.m. ET — Iraq vs. Norway (Group I) — Boston [FOX, Telemundo]
9 p.m. ET — Argentina vs. Algeria (Group J) — Kansas City [FOX, Telemundo]
June 17
12 a.m. ET — Austria vs. Jordan (Group J) — San Francisco Bay Area [FS1, Telemundo]
1 p.m. ET — Portugal vs. DR Congo (Group K) — Houston or Mexico City [FOX, Telemundo]
4 p.m. ET — England vs. Croatia (Group L) — Toronto or Dallas [FOX, Telemundo]
7 p.m. ET — Ghana vs. Panama (Group L) — Toronto or Dallas [FS1, Telemundo]
10 p.m. ET — Uzbekistan vs. Colombia (Group K) — Houston or Mexico City [FS1, Telemundo]
June 18
12 p.m. ET — Czechia vs. South Africa (Group A) — Atlanta [FOX, Telemundo]
3 p.m. ET — Switzerland vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group A) — Los Angeles [FOX, Telemundo]
6 p.m. ET — Canada vs. Qatar (Group B) — Vancouver [FS1, Telemundo]
9 p.m. ET — Mexico vs. South Korea (Group A) — Guadalajara [FOX, Telemundo]
June 19
3 p.m. ET — USA vs. Australia (Group D) — Seattle [FOX, Telemundo]
6 p.m. ET — Scotland vs. Morocco (Group C) — Boston [FOX, Telemundo]
8:30 p.m. ET — Brazil vs. Haiti (Group C) — Philadelphia [FOX, Telemundo]
11 p.m. ET — Turkey vs. Paraguay (Group D) — San Francisco Bay Area [FS1, Telemundo]
June 20
1 p.m. ET — Netherlands vs. Sweden (Group F) — Houston [FOX, Telemundo]
4 p.m. ET — Germany vs. Ivory Coast (Group E) — Toronto [FOX, Telemundo]
8 p.m. ET — Ecuador vs. Curaçao (Group E) — Kansas City [FS1, Telemundo]
June 21
12 a.m. ET — Tunisia vs. Japan (Group F) — Monterrey [FS1, Telemundo]
12 p.m. ET — Spain vs. Saudi Arabia (Group H) — Atlanta [FOX, Telemundo]
3 p.m. ET — Belgium vs. Iran (Group G) — Inglewood [FS1, Telemundo]
6 p.m. ET — Uruguay vs. Cape Verde (Group H) — Miami [FS1, Telemundo]
9 p.m. ET — New Zealand vs. Egypt (Group G) — Vancouver [FS1, Telemundo]
June 22
1 p.m. ET — Argentina vs. Austria (Group J) — Dallas [FOX, Telemundo]
5 p.m. ET — France vs. Iraq – (Group I) — Philadelphia [FOX, Telemundo]
8 p.m. ET — Norway vs. Senegal (Group I) — New York/New Jersey [FOX, Telemundo]
11 p.m. ET — Jordan vs. Algeria (Group J) — San Francisco Bay Area [FS1, Telemundo]
June 23
1 p.m. ET — Portugal vs. Uzbekistan (Group K) — Houston [FOX, Telemundo]
4 p.m. ET — England vs. Ghana (Group L) — Boston [FOX, Telemundo]
7 p.m. ET — Panama vs. Croatia (Group L) — Toronto [FOX, Telemundo]
10 p.m. ET — Colombia vs. DR Congo (Group K) — Guadalajara [FS1, Telemundo]
June 24
3 p.m. ET — Canada vs. Switzerland (Group B) — Vancouver [FOX, Telemundo]
3 p.m. ET — Bosnia and Herzegovina A vs. Qatar (Group B) — Seattle [FS1, Universo]
6 p.m. ET — Morocco vs. Haiti (Group C) — Atlanta [FS1, Universo]
6 p.m. ET — Scotland vs. Brazil (Group C) — Miami [FOX, Telemundo]
9 p.m. ET — Mexico vs. Czechia (Group A) — Mexico City [FOX, Telemundo]
9 p.m. ET — South Korea vs. South Africa (Group A) — Monterrey [FS1, Universo]
June 25
4 p.m. ET — Curaçao vs. Ivory Coast (Group E) — Philadelphia [FS1, Universo]
4 p.m. ET — Ecuador vs. Germany (Group E) — New York/New Jersey [FOX, Telemundo]
7 p.m. ET — Tunisia vs. Netherlands (Group F) — Kansas City [FOX, Telemundo]
7 p.m. ET — Japan vs. Sweden (Group F) — Dallas [FS1, Universo]
10 p.m. ET — USA vs. Turkey (Group D) — Inglewood [FOX, Telemundo]
10 p.m. ET — Paraguay vs. Australia (Group D) — San Francisco Bay Area [FS1, Universo]
June 26
3 p.m. ET — Norway vs. France (Group I) — Boston [FOX, Telemundo]
3 p.m. ET — Senegal vs. Iraq (Group I) — Toronto [FS1, Universo]
8 p.m. ET— Uruguay vs. Spain (Group H) — Guadalajara [FOX, Telemundo]
8 p.m. ET— Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia (Group H) — Houston [FS1, Universo]
11 p.m. ET— New Zealand vs. Belgium (Group G) — Vancouver [FOX, Telemundo]
11 p.m. ET— Egypt vs. Iran (Group G) — Seattle [FS1, Universo]
June 27
5 p.m. ET — Panama vs. England (Group L) — New York/New Jersey [FOX, Telemundo
5 p.m. ET — Croatia vs. Ghana (Group L) — Philadelphia [FS1, Universo]
7:30 p.m. ET — Colombia vs. Portugal (Group K) — Miami [FOX, Telemundo]
7:30 p.m. ET — DR Congo 1 vs. Uzbekistan (Group K) — Atlanta [FS1, Universo]
10 p.m. ET — Algeria vs. Austria (Group J) — Kansas City [FS1, Universo]
10 p.m. ET — Jordan vs. Argentina (Group J) — Dallas [FOX, Telemundo]
2026 World Cup knockout stage schedule
Round of 32:
June 28
3 p.m. ET — Runner-up Group A vs. Runner-up Group B — Inglewood (Match 73) [FOX, Telemundo]
June 29
1 p.m. ET — Winner Group C vs. Runner-up Group F — Houston (Match 76) [FOX, Telemundo]
4:30 p.m. ET — Winner Group E vs. Best 3rd place Group A/B/C/D/F — Boston (Match 74) [FOX, Telemundo]
9 p.m. ET — Winner Group F vs. Runner-up Group C — Guadalupe, Mexico (Match 75) [FOX, Telemundo]
June 30
1 p.m. ET — Runner-up Group E vs. Runner-up Group I — Dallas (Match 78) [FOX, Telemundo]
5 p.m. ET — Winner Group I vs. Best 3rd place Group C/D/F/G/H — New Jersey (Match 77) [FOX, Telemundo]
9 p.m. ET — Winner Group A vs. Best 3rd place Group C/E/F/H/I — Mexico City (Match 79) [FOX, Telemundo]
July 1
12 p.m. ET — Winner Group L vs Best 3rd place Group E/H/I/J/K — Atlanta (Match 80) [FOX, Telemundo]
4 p.m. ET — Winner Group G vs Best 3rd place Group A/E/H/I/J — Seattle (Match 82) [FS1, Telemundo]
8 p.m. ET — Winner Group D vs Best 3rd place Group B/E/F/I/J — San Francisco-Bay Area (Match 81) [FOX, Telemundo]
July 2
3 p.m. ET — Winner Group H vs Runner-up Group J — Los Angeles (Match 84) [FOX, Telemundo]
7 p.m. ET — Runner-up Group K vs Runner-up Group L — Toronto (Match 83) [FOX, Telemundo]
11 p.m. ET — Winner Group B vs Best 3rd place Group E/F/G/I/J — Vancouver (Match 85) [FS1, Telemundo]
July 3
2 p.m. ET — Runner-up Group D vs. Runner-up Group G — Dallas (Match 88) [FOX, Telemundo]
6 p.m. ET — Winner Group J vs. Runner-up Group H — Miami (Match 86) [FOX, Telemundo]
9:30 p.m. ET — Winner Group K vs. Best 3rd place Group D/E/I/J/L — Kansas City (Match 87), Telemundo]
Round of 16:
July 4
1 p.m. ET — Match 73 winner vs. Match 75 winner — Houston (Match 90) [FOX, Telemundo]
5 p.m. ET — Match 74 winner vs. Match 77 winner — Philadelphia (Match 89) [FOX, Telemundo]
July 5
4 p.m. ET — Match 76 winner vs. Match 78 winner — New Jersey (Match 91) [FOX, Telemundo]
8 p.m. ET — Match 79 winner vs. Match 80 winner — Mexico City (Match 92) [FOX, Telemundo]
July 6
3 p.m. ET — March 83 winner vs. Match 84 winner — Dallas (Match 93) [FOX, Telemundo]
8 p.m. ET — Match 81 winner vs. Match 82 winner — Seattle (Match 94) [FOX, Telemundo]
July 7
12:00 p.m. ET — Match 86 winner vs. Match 88 winner — Atlanta (Match 95) [FOX, Telemundo]
4:00 p.m. ET — Match 85 winner vs. Match 87 winner — Vancouver (Match 96) [FOX, Telemundo]
Quarterfinals:
July 9
4 p.m. ET — Match 89 winner vs. Match 90 winner — Boston (Match 97) [FOX, Telemundo]
July 10
3 p.m. ET — Match 93 winner vs. Match 94 winner — Los Angeles (Match 98) [FOX, Telemundo]
July 11
5 p.m. ET — Match 91 winner vs March 92 winner — Miami (Match 99) [FOX, Telemundo]
9 p.m. ET — Match 95 winner vs. Match 96 winner — Kansas City (Match 100) [FOX, Telemundo]
Semifinals:
July 14
3:00 p.m. ET — Winner 97 vs. Winner 98 — Dallas (Match 101) [FOX, Telemundo]
July 15
3 p.m. ET — Winner 99 vs. Winner 100 — Atlanta (Match 102) [FOX, Telemundo]
Third-place match, July 18:
5 p.m. ET — Miami [FOX, Telemundo]
World Cup Final, July 19:
3 p.m. ET — Metlife Stadium in New Jersey [FOX, Telemundo]

The United States makes its 2026 World Cup debut on Friday, at the stadium formerly known as “SoFi” (the name has been redacted, per FIFA demands). Tickets remain available to watch the U.S. and Paraguay play in person at 9:00 p.m. ET, 6:00 p.m. PT.
Via Joe Lago of Sports Business Journal, FIFA has roughly 350 tickets left in its primary inventory. Another 2,500 or so are available on the secondary market.
As of Friday morning, the cheapest price for a ticket was $1,129.
The matches at SoFi will be played on lush, high-quality grass that Rams owner Stan Kroenke installed at the behest of FIFA. By February, when SoFi Stadium hosts Super Bowl LXI, the grass will be long gone and the fake stuff will have returned in all of its artificial glory.
Kroenke also had to, as mentioned above, remove the sponsored name of the venue for the duration of the World Cup, reconfigure the lower areas of the stadium, and forgo other events that would have generated significant revenue for the duration of FIFA’s SoFi takeover.
As Devin McCourty said earlier this week on PFT Live, and as the NFLPA Twitter account amplified on Thursday, it’s “disrespectful” to NFL players for NFL owners to install high-quality grass for soccer and insist on using artificial turf for football.
Said the NFLPA in another post, “If these extensive field changes are worth the cost for a month-long tournament, why aren’t they worth the cost for the NFL players who primarily compete in these stadiums?”
The bottom line is that grass fields, in the view of owners who choose turf, have too much of an impact on the bottom line. Now that it’s a collective bargaining issue, it will change only if the NFLPA makes a concession that matches the overall cost of converting all stadiums to grass.
Still, there’s value in pushing it. The NFL does a good job of locking arms during CBA talks. What better way to drive a wedge among the oligarchs than to insist on a term that, for the teams already playing on grass, will be viewed as no big deal?

Topline
The judge who presided over a teenage murder trial in Texas that sparked a racial debate in the suburbs of Dallas has defended the controversial 35-year sentence of a 19-year-old Black man he called a “nice young man” and said he’s able to sleep “well at night” following the trial.
Key Facts
how have people responded to the karmelo anthony conviction?
Andrew Anthony, Karmelo Anthony’s father, on Thursday called the situation “unfortunate” and one where “nobody wins.” He questioned if the outcome of the trial would have been the same if his son had not been tried by an “all-white jury” (reporting has suggested there were several minorities on the jury, but no Black people) and said he believes his son was “already convicted” in the court of public opinion before the trial began. Crockett, whose district includes parts of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex but not Frisco, told TMZ she thinks the outcome of the trial would have been different if the races were reversed: “I don’t even know if (Anthony) would have been convicted, because if a white boy would have said that they were afraid of a Black boy, something tells me that that jury that didn’t have any Black people on it, they would have believed him and his fear,” she said. Dallas-based civil rights activist Dominique Alexander said the verdict showed “Black lives do not matter in Collin County.” The Collin County Young Democrats group supported Anthony and wrote in a Facebook post that “Justice must be more than punishment.” The Collin County NAACP posted on Facebook questioning “fairness, representation, and confidence in our justice system,” and questioned why there were no Black people on the jury. Anthony’s grandmother, Toni Hayes, was filmed shouting “Racist! Bias!” out of her car window as she left the courthouse Tuesday.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
“Wow! Just freakin wow! DISGUSTING… This is not justice, this is trying to make an example!!!” Cardi B posted about the sentencing.
Contra
Jeff Metcalf, the victim’s father, said he thinks Anthony should have been sentenced to life in prison. He said he had “a little bit of sorrow” for Anthony but vowed he will advocate against parole for the rest of his life and will record a video to play at parole hearings after he dies. Right-wing provocateur Jake Lang stood outside the courthouse and shouted that Anthony should be “lynched.” Sports columnist Jason Whitlock called the violence “senseless” and said Anthony “should’ve pleaded insanity” as the only “real explanation for his behavior.” State Rep. Jared Patterson, D-Frisco, said he hopes “this moment allows the Metcalf family and our community to begin the difficult process of healing and moving forward together.” A local city councilor, Burt Thakur, said, “justice was served.”
SURPRISING FACT
The families of Anthony and Metcalf have both received death threats, they said. Andrew Anthony said he’s been harassed by people who “want our family dead,” and Jeff Metcalf, the victim’s father, said he has received similar threats: “Yesterday, I had a death threat, this morning had multiple emails, texts threatening me, calling me all sorts of names,” he told CBS News.”
Why is the case being compared to Kyle Rittenhouse?
The case immediately evoked memories of the high-profile trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, a white man who shot three people—and killed two—in Wisconsin while illegally armed with an AR-15-style rifle during a Black Lives Matter protest. Rittenhouse was also 17 at the time, and claimed self defense in a case with strong racial and political overtones that also spurred large, controversial online fundraising campaigns. He was charged with multiple counts, including homicide, but was acquitted after a jury found he acted in self-defense. Supporters of Anthony have argued Rittenhouse was given the benefit of the doubt while Anthony was not for racial reasons, pointing out Rittenhouse was immediately supported by the conservative base while Anthony was widely condemned before trial. “White folks out here asking why Karmelo Anthony had a knife but had no problem with 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse having an AR 15 that he wasn’t licensed to carry,” Talbert Swan, a bishop and NAACP chapter president in Massachusetts, said. Critics say the two cases are fundamentally different, and that the legal facts are not as similar as the political narrative suggests. Rittenhouse slammed the comparison by saying, “I defended myself after I was violently attacked by white antifa thugs with criminal records—and it was clear I’d die if I didn’t defend myself. We are not the same.”
Key background
Anthony and Metcalf had never met before a Frisco school district track meet in April 2025. When it started raining, some athletes stayed on the field and others ran for cover under team tents, reports detail. Anthony’s school, Centennial High School, did not have a team tent and he instead sought shelter under the Memorial High tent, where Metcalf was a student. Witnesses told police Metcalf told Anthony to leave, to which Anthony responded, “Touch me and see what happens,” and then Metcalf grabbed Anthony to remove him from the tent. That’s when the witness said Anthony pulled out a knife, stabbed Metcalf once, then ran away. Anthony immediately told police he was the one who stabbed Melcalf, that he was “protecting himself” and asked if Metcalf was “going to be OK,” according to police reports. The case generated a massive amount of false information online—including fake autopsy reports and a fake social-media account impersonating the Frisco police chief—and an online legal-defense fundraiser raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in what critics argued was a “reward” for someone accused of murder.
TANGENT

CHICAGO (WLS) — Cleanup across the Chicago area is underway after strong thunderstorms spawned at least two confirmed tornadoes Thursday.
The National Weather Service will be sending team out to survey damage in Streator, Naperville, Bartlett and Northwest Indiana Friday. Tornadoes were confirmed in Streator and Northwest Indiana and survey teams will survey the damage to determine the intensity of the tornadoes.
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These strong storms have knocked out power for people across our area. Early Friday morning, ComEd reported more than 170,000 customers without power.
In Northwest Indiana, NIPSCO says more than 74,000 customers are without power.
SEE ALSO: Track power outages in your area with the ABC7 Chicago Power Outage Tracker
The South Shore Line service is disrupted between South Bend and Michigan City. There is service between Michigan City and the Randolph Street Station.
In Streator, some homes were completely demolished with after a tornado swept through the southern part of the town.
A state of emergency has been declared there in a town of about 12,000 people.
Some people said that they hid in bathrooms and basements as they heard parts of their home crumble.
“I’ll tell you what, it was the scariest things I’ve witnessed,” Streator resident Clint Stevens said. “I mean, being this close to me and actually watching the funnel cloud. It, It was definitely scary.”
So far the mayor said there have been no reported deaths but we are still waiting to learn about the extent of injuries people may have suffered.
One man was found in a pile of rubble at his home near Saratoga Lane and Sunbury Drive as a camera caught the moment first responders arrived to help.
The Red Cross opened a shelter at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church for people in need of assistance.
In Northwest Indiana, there’s a shelter open in Hobart to support people impacted by the storm.
Crews were seen working overnight to clear out some of the downed trees near third Street and Lake Park Avenue.
The shelter, for people who need it, is at the police complex gym on 704 east Fourth street in Hobart.
Just west of Hobart, in the Dyer, Saint John, Indiana area, more trees were uprooted. and in some cases, sewage pipes and electrical lines were also pulled up.
One man who says he insisted he and his wife head into the basement, because the storm was coming.
“I saw the clouds whipping around and we went downstairs and the next thing you know I heard a big thought… I came upstairs… Saw the tree on the back on the house on my patio,” resident Patrick Winter said.
Winter said a statue of the Virgin Mary, kind of hidden behind a tree there protected his house just as she has done since he was a kid on the South Side of Chicago.
In Merrillville, video shows several homes destroyed, with missing roofs and walls.
There are also many downed trees, blocking roads and driveways.
The storm damaged the roof and windows at Andrean High School. Power lines were knocked down and into the street. Operations at the school have been canceled for the foreseeable future, officials said.
An Andrean employee James was out assessing the damage Friday morning.
“I just think about the kids,” he said. “They are supposed to be here for practice and summer is starting and sports and school is starting in a couple of months.”
James said they are going to need tarps for the school as well as prayers.
“It’s a special place and we are going to rebuild and make it better,” he said.
According to town officials, multiple agencies from as far as Illinois are assisting as first responders search and assess the damage.
Crews are also working to clear roads.
Officials want to remind the community to stay clear of any fallen utility lines or damaged utility poles.
In Chicago in the West Lawn neighborhood,
This is near 62nd and Lawndale in the West Lawn neighborhood.
It appears part of the roof of the Saint Nicholas of Tolentine School near 62nd Street and Lawndale Avenue may have been torn off.
Radar clocking winds of up to 100 miles-an-hour on the city’s South Side Thursday night
Weather Alerts | Live Doppler Radar
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The 2026 World Cup began Thursday with eruptions of joy in Mexico City.
At long last — after days, weeks, months, years of controversy over ticket prices, funding, visas and more — the grandest soccer tournament in human history started with pageantry, emotion and a few great human stories.
In the inaugural match, Mexico beat South Africa, 2-0. In the nightcap, South Korea came back to beat Czech Republic, 2-1. On Friday, attention will shift to Mexico’s co-hosts Canada and the United States; but before we look ahead, Thursday was worth savoring because it reminded us why we love the World Cup.
Throughout the the tournament, The Athletic will bring you daily recaps on the World Cup’s biggest talking points and highlight what you shouldn’t miss in the next 24 hours. This is what happened on Matchday 1.
Mexico’s timely pick-me-up
So much of the buildup to this World Cup had revolved around the United States. President Donald Trump took center stage at December’s draw. U.S. cities bickered with FIFA, soccer’s global governing body and the tournament organisers. American sports essentially set the ticket market. Eleven NFL stadiums will host 78 of the 104 matches, including every one from the quarterfinals onward.
Mexico, though, got the opener, and it put on the show that FIFA needed: a soccer show.
Mexico, much more so than its co-hosts, is a soccer country, una nación futbolera. It has hosted two men’s World Cups before (1970 and 1986) and, on Thursday, it stopped in its tracks for the third. Streets emptied. Living rooms and the mystical Estadio Azteca filled up. Nerves tingled, then trembled.
And then, in the ninth minute, Julián Quiñones washed away all that tension with the tournament’s first goal, eliciting a nationwide roar. The Athletic’s Jacob Whitehead heard it from the streets of Guadalajara. Mexican fans across the continent, south and north of the U.S. border, leapt skyward. Inside the stadium, beer and sombreros flew.
UK readers watch here:
U.S. readers watch here:
It was the moment Mexico had been waiting for. It was the moment FIFA had been waiting for. It was the moment Quiñones dreamed of when he chose to play for Mexico, and even when he endured xenophobic criticism from some fans who felt that the Colombian-born attacker wasn’t Mexican enough.
On Thursday, he became the toast of his adopted country.
Around an hour later, World Cup nerves re-set in. Angst gripped the Azteca as Mexico struggled to find a second goal, even after Yaya Sithole received a red card, reducing South Africa to 10 men. (There would be three red cards, two for South Africa and one for Mexico, by the end of the match — making this officially the dirtiest opening game at a World Cup.)
In the 67th minute, though, Raúl Jiménez extinguished all concern, and wrote another remarkable chapter in this opening-day story. You could see it etched across his cracking face. Back in 2020, Jiménez fractured his skull; his career, it seemed, might be over. Six years later, at age 35, he scored his first World Cup goal.
UK readers watch here:
U.S. readers watch here:
You could see the emotion instantly, in his fist pumps and his tears. You could see it in teammates’ embraces. You could see it all around the famous stadium, and in the songs that echoed deep into the Mexican night.
It’s what makes the World Cup a peerless event, a national unifier, an enthralling spectacle. The 2026 edition needed only one game to jog the world’s memory.
Hydration breaks become commercial breaks
Perhaps the only stain on Thursday’s curtain-raiser were FIFA’s newly-mandated “hydration breaks.”
Previously, many soccer games have paused in extreme heat; now, irrespective of weather, even indoors, all World Cup matches are pausing for three minutes midway through each half. When FIFA announced the change, it said the breaks were for “player welfare,” but many fans saw through the spin and assumed the breaks would be used by broadcasters to show commercials.
On Thursday, Fox, which holds the English-language U.S. broadcast rights, confirmed those fears.
It not only cut away to advertisements; during the second half of Mexico-South Africa, its commercials ran long and caused viewers to miss several seconds of action after play resumed.
The blunder sparked an uproar among longtime fans who, for decades, have been accustomed to soccer being a game of two uninterrupted halves. “I hate it,” former U.S. women’s national team star Carli Lloyd wrote on X.
The breaks essentially turn soccer into a game of four quarters, à la basketball or American football. They allow coaches to tweak tactics and deliver instructions to players that were once hard to communicate before and after halftime.
On Day 1, the commercials were the main talking point, but the sporting implications will be significant, too. Back in March, Portugal coach Roberto Martinez predicted: “The game is going to change.”
USMNT ‘relaxed’ ahead of glitzy opener
As one co-host opened the World Cup in style, another, the United States, prepared for its long-awaited moment.
The U.S. team, popularly known as the USMNT, will kick off Group D against Paraguay (9pm ET Friday, 2 am BST, Saturday) in Southern California. Years of anticipation, expectation and preparation will collide at SoFi Stadium, an absurdly opulent, $5.5 billion palace. All of it will pile on pressure.
If U.S. players are feeling it, though, they haven’t shown it.
Christian Pulisic, 27, the face of the program since his teenage years, said Thursday that he was actually “more relaxed” than he was four years ago, on the eve of the last World Cup.
He and his teammates, of course, know that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lift American soccer. But they’ve found strength, comfort and calmness in their togetherness. They seem and sound confident, and so does their coach, Mauricio Pochettino.
Pochettino said at his pre-match news conference that he would not deliver one last rousing speech before the opener. “They don’t need any external motivation or an inspirational speech,” he said. His reasoning was simple: it’s a World Cup. “If you are not ready,” he said, “I’m sorry.”
“They need to think tomorrow and play like they are a child,” Pochettino said of his players. “With no pressure, with no responsibility.”
Friday’s schedule
Before the USMNT steps into spotlights, Canada also plays its opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina. That match kicks off at 3 p.m. ET at BMO Field in Toronto.
Canada’s biggest star, Alphonso Davies, will not play as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury suffered last month. But the Canadians are favored, and are hopeful that they, like the USMNT, can make a run that leaves a lasting impact on soccer in their country.
Then, as 9 p.m. ET approaches, all eyes will turn to the Americans. There are no injuries to report; Chris Richards, the team’s top defender and only question mark over the past few weeks, is available, Pochettino said Thursday.
The only absence of note will be that of President Trump. White House World Cup task force director Andrew Giuliani confirmed Thursday that the President will not attend. He will be the first leader of a host country to skip a men’s World Cup opener in the 21st century. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the U.S. government’s delegation, and will meet with Paraguayan president Santiago Peña.
Both the Canadian and American openers will be preceded by musical performances and ceremonies. And once they conclude, the 2026 World Cup will, finally, be in full swing.