The 2026 FIFA World Cup opened on Thursday, June 11, with Mexico facing South Africa at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, launching the first edition of the tournament to feature 48 teams, 12 groups and 104 matches across three host countries: Mexico, Canada and the United States. The opening match marked the beginning of an expanded World Cup format and introduced a new approach to the tournament’s start, including a pre-match ceremony in Mexico.
The competition quickly shifts to the other host nations on Friday, June 12, when Canada and the United States make their debuts. Canada plays Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto, while the United States faces Paraguay in Los Angeles. With those matches, all three hosts take center stage within the first 48 hours of the tournament, underscoring the global scale and distributed structure of the 2026 event.
For the first time in World Cup history, there are three official opening ceremonies, one in each host country. The first took place in Mexico and featured performances by several artists, including Colombian singer Shakira. The second ceremony is scheduled for Toronto ahead of Canada’s match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The event begins at 2:30 p.m. Brasília time, with kickoff set for 4:00 p.m. Confirmed performers include Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream and William Prince.
The third opening ceremony will be held in Los Angeles before the United States meet Paraguay. That show begins at 8:30 p.m. Brasília time, with the match starting at 10:00 p.m. The lineup includes Katy Perry, Anitta, LISA, Rema, Tyla and Future, bringing together international pop, rap and Latin music acts for the final official opening event in the United States.
In Brazil, the World Cup will be broadcast across multiple platforms and channels, including TV Globo, ge tv, SporTV, N Sports, CazéTV and SBT. Brazil’s national team begins its campaign on Saturday, June 13, two days after the tournament opener. Drawn into Group C, Brazil will face Morocco on June 13 in New York/New Jersey, Haiti on June 19 in Philadelphia, and Scotland on June 24 in Miami.
The tournament’s key dates are also set. The group stage concludes on June 27, followed by the round of 32 from June 28 to July 3. The round of 16 runs from July 4 to July 7, with the quarterfinals scheduled for July 9 to July 11. The semifinals take place on July 14 and 15, the third-place match is set for July 18 in Miami, and the final will be played on July 19 in New York/New Jersey.
