Football’s greatest avenue has finally arrived. After four long years of anticipation, the 2026 FIFA World Cup roars into life with co-hosts Mexico squaring off against South Africa in the tournament’s curtain-raising fixture.
There is a richness of history baked into this particular kickoff — for it was these very same two nations who shared the honour of opening the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa, in what became one of the most emotionally charged opening matches the tournament has ever produced.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup marks the start of a 39-day tournament featuring 104 games — 40 more than the last edition in Qatar 2022. With an expanded participation pool of 48 teams, it is the biggest World Cup in the sport’s history, and the first to be held across three countries: the United States, Mexico and Canada.
For the very first act of this historic spectacle, football has reached deep into its recent past — and found a perfect, almost poetic symmetry.
The iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City will serve as the stage for a World Cup opening match for the third time in history. The world-renowned stadium will host its 20th match in the competition — more than any other venue in the history of the tournament. With a passionate, deafening fanbase expected to fill its stands, more than 80,000 attendees are expected, with the co-hosts finding themselves under pressure to deliver the winning start their fans demand.
The opening ceremony will be headlined by four-time Grammy-winning superstar Shakira, while Colombian singer J Balvin and South African singer and songwriter Tyla will also be among the performers. Shakira’s presence on that stage will mean far more than a musical performance. The Colombian superstar, whose 2010 anthem “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” became one of the tournament’s defining songs, will perform the new official tournament anthem “Dai Dai” alongside Nigerian artist Burna Boy. The circle closes beautifully, an artist who soundtracked the last time these two nations met is back to open their reunion.
Exactly 16 years ago to the date of this fixture, South Africa hosted Mexico in the 2010 World Cup opener. Siphiwe Tshabalala opened the scoring before Rafael Márquez, now El Tri’s assistant coach, equalised in a 1-1 draw. This will be the first time in history that an opening fixture has been repeated from any of the 19 previous single-host World Cup openers.
The roles, however, are now reversed. The team that once hosted is now the visitor. The team that once travelled is now the host. The ground has shifted beneath both nations in the 16 years between these encounters.
Mexico are gearing up for their 17th appearance at the World Cup finals. Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, training under manager Javier Aguirre, will be participating in his sixth World Cup, a remarkable personal milestone. While South Africa’s return to the World Cup stage, their first since that unforgettable day in Johannesburg in 2010, carries its own emotional charge. They arrive not as favourites, but as a side with genuine belief and a point to prove.
Beyond pride and points in Group A, this match sets the tone for an entire tournament. For Mexico, a victory signals intent, silences doubters and unites a nation behind its co-hosting ambitions. For South Africa, even a draw, echoing that famous 2010 result, would announce their return to world football’s grandest stage with maximum drama.
