The world is coming to North America as Mexico, Canada, and the United States host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, beginning on June 11.
The tournament kicks off with a pair of Group A matches being played in Mexico.
Host country Mexico kicks things off against South Africa from Estadio Banorte in Mexico City followed by South Korea battling Czechia from Akron stadium in Zapopan.
Here is a look at both matchups:
South Africa vs. Mexico
Mexico is hosting the World Cup for the first time in 40 years and are looking to have a better outing than four years ago.
The country failed to get past the group stage in the 2022 edition of the tournament for the first time since 1990. They went 1-1-1 in the round robin, defeating Saudi Arabia, drawing with Poland, and falling to Argentina.
As one of the hosts of the 2026 edition of the tournament, Mexico becomes the first country to host the World Cup three times. They previously hosted the tournament in 1970 and 1986 and were eliminated in the quarter-finals both times.
Mexico will be led by Gilberto Mora, who became the youngest player to play on the senior team last year at 16 years old.
The now-17-year-old midfielder plays for Tijuana in Liga MX, recording four goals this season.
Javier Aguirre is in the midst of his third stint coaching Mexico and coaching the team at the World Cup for a third time.
He previously led the team to a pair of round-of-16 finishes in 2002 and 2010.
South Africa is making its first appearance at the FIFA World Cup since hosting the tournament in 2010.
They stunned France in 2010, defeating the perennial contender 2-1 in the group stage. However, they became the first host team to be eliminated in the round-robin portion of the tournament.
South Africa qualified for this year’s World Cup by winning their Confederation of African Football qualifying group, which also featured Nigeria, Benin, Lesotho, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe.
Midfielder Teboho Mokoena headlines the South African roster who registered four goals this season with the Mamelodi Sundowns in the South African Premiership.
They are coached by Belgian Hugo Broos, who has run the national program since 2021. He previously coached Cameroon and helped lead the nation to an Africa Cup of Nations title in 2017.
South Korea vs. Czechia
South Korea will be making a 12th appearance at the FIFA World Cup, which is the most of any Asian country.
They are coming off a round of 16 elimination in 2022 at the hands of Brazil and haven’t gone any farther than that since 2002 when they finished fourth.
South Korea qualified for the tournament after going undefeated in Group C in the Asian Football Confederation qualifying, going 5-0-1 in a group that also included China, Thailand, and Singapore.
The South Koreans are led by Son Heung-min, who plays for Los Angeles FC in MLS. He will be representing his country at the World Cup for the fourth time and is looking for his first goal at the tournament.
Son previously made a name for himself while playing for Tottenham Hotspur for 10 seasons in the Premier League. He recorded 127 goals in 333 matches during his tenure.
Coach Hong Myung-bo will be coaching South Korea at the World Cup for the second time in his career, previously leading the team to a round of 16 elimination in 2014.
Hong represented South Korea four times as a player and captained the team in 2002 when they reached the semifinals.
Czechia is making its first World Cup appearance since 2006 after defeating Demark in a 2-2 penalty shootout during UEFA playoffs.
They went 1-2-0 in the group stage in 2006 but failed to make it through to the knockout stage.
Czechia is led by midfielder Vladimir Darida, who came out of international retirement to help his country qualify for the World Cup. He had been playing for Hradec Králové of the First League in Czechia, recording 11 goals this season.
Darida last appeared for Czechia as captain during Euro 2021 where they lost in the quarter-final.
Czechia is coached by Miroslav Koubec, who will be representing the country for the first time at the World Cup. He replaced former coach Ivan Hašek late in 2025 after Czechia fell to the Faeroe Islands in World Cup qualifying.
