Mexico leads Group A—everything to know about how FIFA World Cup day 1 unfolded

The 2026 FIFA World Cup day one was full of buzz with tears, controversy and empty seats.

The co-host Mexico secured their first win against South Africa 2-0 in front of a houseful crowd at Estadio Azteca.

The World Cup opening ceremony was filled with dazzling performances by Shakira and Andrea Bocelli, alongside EJAE.

The opening night was divided into two parts; the last one with a flag parade before the teams appeared from the tunnel, with background course by Eminem and the Alan Parsons Project.

The opening match gets underway a bit late, but the ceremony provides vibrant vibes of Mexican culture and history.

While in the other Group A fixture, South Korea won the match against Czech Republic 2-1.

The fixture was marked with empty seats in Guadalajara.

The empty seats at the Estadio Akron showed the issue of rising costs, dynamic pricing, with around 180,000 tickets still listed on FIFA’s official resale portals before tournament gets underway, per The Independent.

Raul Jimenez’s goal in the opening match was all that sent netizens into a frenzy after he broke down in tears.

Jimenez has made a comeback after a scary skull injury in 2020 almost bringing his career to the brink.

The Mexican striker rushed towards a corner flag with tears in his eyes, paying tribute to his father who died in March this year.

The fixtures on FIFA World Cup for June 12 are scheduled for Group B and D.

In group B, Canada will be playing against Herzegovina in Toronto with the kickoff time at 3 p.m. ET.

The last fixture of the day will be played between co-host United States and Paraguay in Inglewood, California, at 9 p.m. ET.