The most expansive edition of the FIFA World Cup in history gets underway Thursday evening at Mexico City’s iconic Estadio Azteca, as co-host nation Mexico faces South Africa in the tournament’s opening match. This year’s competition, jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, features an unprecedented 48 teams competing across three North American countries over a nearly six-week run that will conclude with the final match on July 19 in New Jersey. Projected to haul in a historic $13 billion in total global revenue, the 2026 World Cup already stands as the most commercially successful men’s World Cup ever staged, even before the opening kickoff.
But the build-up to the tournament has been overshadowed by sharp public criticism on two major fronts: exorbitant ticket prices that have priced out many casual fans, and sweeping immigration restrictions enacted by the Trump administration that have already blocked multiple high-profile football figures from entering the U.S. Among those barred entry is Somali referee Omar Artan, who was denied access upon arriving in Miami earlier this month after U.S. authorities cited alleged associations with suspected terrorist group members. Additionally, a number of Iranian team officials and fans have also been turned away at U.S. borders amid ongoing military tensions between Washington and Tehran.
A day before the opening match, FIFA president Gianni Infantino delivered a fiery defense of the governing body’s tournament organization and pushed back against mounting criticism in a press conference held in Mexico City. Addressing outrage over ticket costs, which have reached upwards of $30,000 for premium premium packages, Infantino argued that pricing structures were fair and accessible to fans of all income levels. He pointed to the availability of entry-level tickets priced at just $60, noting, “Let me just say that our entry price, which is 60 dollars, is the lowest entry price of any of the American sports in the play-off phases. Our average price which is below 500 dollars is again the lowest of the American sports on average.”
Infantino also sought to downplay the controversy surrounding Artan, the barred Somali referee, saying, “We don’t control everything… Sometimes it’s good to chill, relax, we work on everything, we try to solve everything.” FIFA has since confirmed Artan will not officiate any matches at the 2026 tournament. In a notable show of support just hours before the World Cup kicked off, European football’s governing body UEFA announced that Artan would retain his nomination to officiate the 2026 European Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa scheduled for August. “Football is made to connect people, and UEFA wants to show its respect to Omar and his outstanding officiating skills, which had earned him such a prestigious nomination,” said UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.
On the topic of Iran’s participation in the tournament, Infantino framed the Islamic Republic’s ability to compete amid heightened tensions with the U.S. as a major win for FIFA. “People were saying Iran couldn’t come to the World Cup. There are challenges, it’s not easy, but I don’t know who else would have been able to ensure in these circumstances — which we could not influence — Iran could come and play,” he said.
Infantino’s close ties to U.S. President Donald Trump have drawn increased scrutiny in the lead-up to the tournament, but the FIFA president offered glowing praise for the American leader, crediting his involvement with making the U.S. leg of the tournament possible. “Without his engagement and involvement, I think it would have been, simple as that, impossible to organize a World Cup in the United States,” Infantino said. Trump confirmed Wednesday that he plans to attend multiple World Cup matches during the tournament, though he declined to share specific details, and echoed Infantino’s optimism, saying, “he said there’s never been anything close” to the expected success of the coming tournament.
As teams prepared for the opening match, South Africa head coach Hugo Broos urged his players to tune out the electric atmosphere expected at Estadio Azteca, a legendary venue that previously hosted the 1970 and 1986 World Cup finals. “They will have 85,000 Mexicans shouting and singing. But we have to focus on our game. And if we can do that… then we can have a good game,” the Belgian coach said. For Mexico, the opening match presents an opportunity to end a decades-long drought: the host nation has not won a World Cup opening match in seven straight tournament appearances. “We have to break the statistic,” said Mexican head coach Javier Aguirre. “It will be another source of motivation.”
Security remains a key focus for local authorities, as hundreds of protesters gathered near Azteca Stadium late Wednesday to demand answers for the country’s thousands of disappeared people, many of whom are alleged to have been killed or abducted by Mexican security forces or criminal gangs. Police established a 1.6-kilometer security perimeter ahead of Thursday’s match and confirmed that peaceful protests would be permitted, though only ticket-holding fans would be allowed access to the stadium grounds.
The opening day of the tournament will feature a second match later Thursday between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara. Heading into the competition, Spain, France and England enter as pre-tournament favorites, while defending champions Argentina will lean on 38-year-old captain and talisman Lionel Messi to lead the side to a second consecutive World Cup title. On Wednesday, England wrapped up its final pre-tournament preparation with a 3-0 friendly win over Costa Rica in Orlando, after the match was delayed for an hour by severe thunderstorms passing through the region.
