With one leg of the pomp and pageantry of the opening ceremony out of the way on Thursday night in Mexico City, the 2026 FIFA World Cup truly got under way.
Mexico’s and South Africa’s Bafana Bafana settled an old score borne 16 years ago at this same stage.
A lackluster performance by Hugo Broos’ men saw them fall 2-0 on the night.
It was an off-putting display according to the aggregate reaction of fans back in the Rainbow Nation, but the odds pregame was not encouraging either.
That group A fixture was followed by another. This time it was end to end action from both South Korea and Czech Republic.
Czech Republic shot ahead in the encounter but could not close out the game and were soon trailing as Korea pegged them back before grabbing a late winner.
More first round, group phase matches will follow at the 2026 FIFA World Cup; and they’ll come thick and fast.
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Despite South Africa’s result, several African teams are expected to have good runs at this year’s World Cup.
The continent’s top teams – according to the latest FIFA World ranking – the likes of Morocco, Senegal, Algeria, Ivory Coast and DR Congo could pull big surprises.
