The 2026 FIFA World Cup, the first expanded 48-team edition of football’s most prestigious tournament co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, officially got underway Thursday with a dramatic opening match that set the tone for a month of high-stakes competition. The action will ramp up further Friday, with the United States playing its first Group D fixture against Paraguay at Los Angeles’ cutting-edge SoFi Stadium, marking the first time the US men’s national team has contested a World Cup match on home soil in 32 years.
As co-hosts, the US squad carries massive expectations from fans and leadership alike, and head coach Mauricio Pochettino has made clear that anything less than lifting the trophy will fall short of his definition of success. The former Tottenham Hotspur manager, speaking to reporters on the eve of the opening fixture, doubled down on his ambitious outlook: “For me, successful is to win, is to win tomorrow and win after. If we don’t arrive to the final and we don’t win the World Cup, to talk about ‘successful’? I don’t know.”
Led by star attacking midfielder Christian Pulisic, a young, talented US core is aiming to turn home-field advantage into a deep tournament run, even as they navigate the pressure of competing in front of their home supporters. Pulisic expressed confidence in his side’s ability to compete with any contender in the draw, telling reporters: “We want to be a real force in this tournament. We’ve got three really good games to show everyone what we’re all about.”
The historic Los Angeles match will draw high-profile attendees, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while former President Donald Trump has confirmed he will attend at least one World Cup fixture during the tournament, though he has not specified which match he will attend. Ahead of the US-Paraguay showdown, a star-studded Hollywood-themed opening ceremony will take place, featuring headlining performances from pop icon Katy Perry and a roster of other A-list music artists.
Friday’s matchday will also feature another historic co-host fixture: Canada will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto, in the side’s quest to claim the first men’s World Cup win in its nation’s history. The Canadian squad will face a major setback, however, as star left back Alphonso Davies remains sidelined, still recovering from a nagging hamstring injury that kept him out of pre-tournament training.
Off the pitch, a visa controversy has disrupted Ghana’s tournament preparations, with FIFA announcing Friday that Arsenal star midfielder Thomas Partey has been denied entry to Canada by the country’s government. Partey, who is currently facing rape charges in a British court, was set to travel with the Ghanaian squad from their US-based team base camp in Boston for their Group L opening fixture against Panama on June 17. In a formal statement, FIFA confirmed: “FIFA can confirm that player Thomas Partey will be unable to travel from Ghana’s Team Base Camp in Boston, USA, to Canada for their first match against Panama on Wednesday, 17 June, as his visa application has been refused by the Canadian government.” The governing body also noted it has no oversight over host nations’ immigration processes, including visa adjudication. While Partey will miss the Panama fixture, reports indicate he will be eligible to compete in Ghana’s remaining two Group L matches against England and Croatia, both of which are scheduled to take place on US soil.
Partey’s visa denial marks the second high-profile immigration issue for the tournament in as many days: Last weekend, US immigration officials refused entry to Somali referee Omar Artan, who was scheduled to officiate matches during the tournament.
For European powerhouse England, which is aiming to end a 60-year drought without a major senior men’s trophy, Real Madrid star midfielder Jude Bellingham has emphasized the importance of team cohesion ahead of the side’s opening fixture. Bellingham, referencing the squad’s off-field tensions during their 2024 Euro final run under former manager Gareth Southgate where they fell to Spain, noted that every squad member needs to feel valued to succeed. Current manager Thomas Tuchel, who succeeded Southgate after Euro 2024, has made building a cohesive “brotherhood” in the squad a core priority of his World Cup preparations.
The tournament kicked off in spectacular yet chaotic fashion Thursday at Mexico City’s iconic Estadio Azteca, where a sold-out crowd of 80,000 fans packed the stands for the opening match and opening ceremony. The ceremony featured showstopping performances from global superstars Shakira and Nigerian afrobeats icon Burna Boy, who got the crowd on their feet ahead of kickoff. Estadio Azteca made tournament history Thursday as the first stadium ever to host World Cup matches across three different editions of the tournament.
Host Mexico got their campaign off to a strong start with a 2-0 victory over South Africa, though the match was marred by discipline issues that saw three players sent off with red cards. Julian Quinones netted the first goal of the entire tournament just nine minutes into the match, followed by a second-half header from 35-year-old veteran striker Raul Jimenez that sealed the three points for the hosts. While the atmosphere inside the stadium was consistently festive, chaotic unrest unfolded outside the venue, where dozens of protesters clashed with local police.
In the second fixture of the tournament’s opening day, South Korea earned a hard-fought 2-1 opening win over the Czech Republic to kick off their campaign with three valuable points. After a month of group-stage and knockout play across all three host nations, the 2026 World Cup will conclude with the final held on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.