World Cup 2026, the opening days: three hosts, three stages, one wild ride

Three countries, eleven cities, one big promise: World Cup 2026 is here, and the opening days delivered straight away. Shakira and Burna Boy opened proceedings at a sold-out Azteca, Katy Perry warmed up Los Angeles, while Jessie Reyez sang in Toronto. But the real leading man was the pitch, as the three hosts of all teams set the early pace.

We have broken down the first four matches for you: goals, possession, expected goals and the turning points. We also look at what is happening beyond the stadiums, from 80,000 at the Azteca to streamer IShowSpeed, who broadcast the USA's opener to millions. Plus the question that excites us most: how do you measure up against the World Cup forwards at our target wall?

It was meant to be a celebration, but became a spectacle with a darker side. In front of more than 80,000 spectators, hosts Mexico opened the tournament against South Africa at the Estadio Azteca, the first stadium in history to stage three World Cup opening matches. On Reddit, r/worldcup was already exploding hours before kick-off: the post "It is on: the Azteca has opened its gates" collected more than 5,700 upvotes simply for the moment the gates opened.

On the pitch, El Tri made it clear early on who would control the evening. Julián Quiñones scored in the 9th minute after an assist from Lira, while Raúl Jiménez added the second in the 67th (assist: Alvarado). The data was clear: 61 per cent possession, 16 shots and an expected goals figure of 1.44 compared with a meagre 0.07. South Africa barely threatened the Mexican goal.

But discipline made the headlines in the end. South Africa lost Sphephelo Sithole (49th) and Themba Zwane (84th) to red cards, while Mexico's César Montes received a second yellow in stoppage time. Three dismissals in a World Cup opening match: according to the statistics, it had never happened before, as fans on X pointed out within minutes.

The USA had waited 32 years for a World Cup match on home soil, and the opener at SoFi Stadium was pure joy. 70,492 fans turned the arena into a cauldron, Katy Perry performed at the opening ceremony, and streaming phenomenon IShowSpeed broadcast the match live to more than three million viewers. “It is a party in the USA,” CNN headlined, and the team provided the perfect soundtrack.

As early as the 7th minute, Damián Bobadilla turned the ball into his own net under US pressure. Then Folarin Balogun took over: first, he finished a perfect pass from Christian Pulisic (31st), before curling Malik Tillman’s delivery into the top corner for 3-0 (50th). Giovanni Reyna added the final touch for 4-1 in stoppage time. It was the USA’s first-ever four-goal performance at a World Cup and their biggest World Cup win.

With 65 per cent possession and 16 shots, six of them on target, the result was fully deserved. Balogun capped the evening with the tournament’s best rating of 9.10: no player in the opening days had been rated higher.

In Toronto, the atmosphere was already legendary before kick-off: a Reddit clip of the crowds around BMO Field collected more than 3,000 upvotes. On the pitch, though, it became a nervy affair for Canada. Bosnia and Herzegovina took the lead through Jovo Lukić in the 21st minute, assisted by Kolašinac, and defended with discipline.

Canada pressed, had 60 per cent possession and won nine corners, but could not find a way through for a long time. Expected goals of 1.06 to 0.98 show a closer match than the possession figures suggest. It was not until the 78th minute that experienced striker Cyle Larin rescued a 1-1 draw for the hosts after a Jonathan David assist. A point that felt like a win for Canada and a lost one for Bosnia, although Bosnia’s defensive leader Nikola Katić produced one of the strongest individual displays of the opening days with a rating of 8.30.

The weekend’s finest script belonged to a non-host nation. In Guadalajara, South Korea trailed the Czech Republic after Krejci’s goal in the 59th minute, then turned the match around in just 13 minutes. Hwang In-beom equalised in the 67th minute, assisted by Lee Kang-in, before Oh Hyeon-gyu headed in the 2-1 winner in the 80th. With a goal and an assist, Hwang was the outstanding player on the pitch and received the second-best rating of the opening days, 8.90. A comeback that shows this World Cup has been telling big stories from day one.

Four matches, and the numbers read like a promise for the rest of the tournament. Twelve goals mean an average of 3.0 per match: pure attacking football. Already 125 different players have taken to the pitch, with nine of them getting on the scoresheet. And the three hosts? Unbeaten, with seven points from a possible nine.

Our live data updates minute by minute on matchdays. Anyone wanting to delve deeper can find everything in the World Cup data centre: tables, top scorers, player ratings and AI match reports for every game.

While the pros deliver in the stadiums, our community is getting stuck in outdoors. At the SportFits goal wall, 613 rounds have already been played in the first few days: 9,195 shots, 3,318 goals, a conversion rate of 36 per cent. The 267 participants have not only taken aim, but also collected entries for the ten vouchers up for grabs.

And there is one comparison everyone wants to make: you versus the World Cup strikers. The pros have a 40 per cent conversion rate across the first four matches: twelve goals from 30 shots on target. That means just four percentage points separate the community from the world's best attackers. Anyone looking to close the gap gets a fresh chance every day.