Folarin Balogun's brace — the first by a U.S. player at a World Cup since 1930 — headlined a record-breaking 4-1 win over Paraguay at SoFi Stadium that saw the USMNT score more goals in a single match than in their entire Qatar 2022 campaign.
Cyle Larin's 78th-minute equalizer gave Canada their first-ever World Cup point in a 1-1 draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina, while South Korea rallied to beat Czechia 2-1. Both results arrived against mounting off-pitch tensions: empty seats tied to FIFA's dynamic pricing, legal subpoenas from multiple U.S. attorneys general, and Ghana's Thomas Partey denied entry to Canada despite holding a U.S. visa.
Co-hosts Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 at the Azteca to open the 2026 World Cup, but the night belonged to the referee: three red cards, the most ever shown in a tournament opener.
As the first 48-team World Cup kicks off, Spain are the narrow favourites — but the Opta supercomputer and the betting market agree the title race is unusually tight, with little comfort for the hosts and a genuine dark horse in Haaland's Norway.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup opens on 11 June as the first 48-team tournament — 104 matches across 16 cities in the US, Mexico and Canada. A guide to the new format, the wide-open favourites, and the heat, cost and carbon concerns hanging over it.
