Mexico open expanded World Cup against South Africa
FIFA's schedule starts the 2026 men's World Cup in Mexico City on 11 June, with co-host Mexico facing South Africa before South Korea play Czechia in Guadalajara. FIFA's competition material sets this as the first 48-team men's World Cup, running across Canada, Mexico and the United States until the 19 July final in New York/New Jersey. The sporting centre of gravity is Group A: Mexico carry home pressure, South Africa return to the tournament for the first time since hosting in 2010, and the format gives more room for third-placed teams to survive. For Belgium, the opening day is the start of a long tournament build-up rather than the main event: FIFA's schedule puts the Red Devils' first Group G match against Egypt in Seattle on 15 June, with VRT and RTBF listed among Belgian rights holders in FIFA media-rights material.
Belgian football fans, cafés, sports bars, broadcasters and families following the Red Devils now move from qualification talk to tournament rhythm. FIFA's schedule gives Belgium a 15 June opener against Egypt, so the first days are useful scouting for the new format and for judging how travel, time zones and heat affect teams. For Belgian viewers, the main practical issue is not Mexico's result but how a 104-match tournament reshapes evening routines, public viewing and broadcaster scheduling through mid-July.
FIFA (world football's governing body, founded in 1904 and based in Zurich) organises the men's World Cup. Mexico (co-host with Canada and the United States in 2026) opens the tournament at Mexico City Stadium, FIFA's tournament name for Estadio Azteca. South Africa (CAF qualifier and 2010 World Cup host) are Mexico's first opponents. South Korea (AFC power and 2002 co-host) and Czechia (the Czech national team, returning under that name after earlier World Cup appearances as Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic) complete the opening-day fixtures. Canada, Mexico and the United States (the three CONCACAF host nations) share the first tri-national men's World Cup. Belgium's Red Devils (the Belgian men's national team run by the Royal Belgian Football Association) are in Group G with Egypt, Iran and New Zealand, according to FIFA's schedule data. VRT and RTBF (Belgium's Dutch- and French-language public broadcasters) are listed by FIFA-linked media-rights material as Belgian broadcasters.
Background
FIFA approved expansion to 48 teams in 2017, then the FIFA Council settled on a 12-group, 104-match format in March 2023 after earlier three-team group plans drew concern over competitive incentives. Mexico and South Africa also opened the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg on 11 June 2010, a 1-1 draw remembered for Siphiwe Tshabalala's goal. Belgium's modern World Cup reference point remains 2018, when the Red Devils finished third; the 2022 group-stage exit made the 2026 campaign a test of renewal rather than continuity.
Why now
The trigger is opening day: FIFA's schedule begins the 2026 World Cup on 11 June with Mexico against South Africa, turning years of format debate, host planning and qualification into live competition.
What to watch
Watch Mexico's performance under home pressure, South Africa's adaptation to Mexico City, and whether the first Group A matches suggest the expanded format rewards caution or attacking play. For Belgian readers, the next fixed date is Belgium against Egypt on 15 June.
Opposing perspectives
- FIFA Council / expansion supporters
FIFA Council's 2023 format decision frames the larger World Cup as a way to keep four-team groups while widening global participation. The strongest version of that case is sporting access: more confederations and more national-team communities get meaningful World Cup exposure without abandoning the familiar group-stage rhythm.
- Tournament-format researchers (Csato and Gyimesi)
Csato and Gyimesi's 2026 analysis treats the 48-team reform as a competitive-design problem, not just a spectacle. Their strongest caution is that qualification rules, third-place advancement and final-round incentives can change how teams manage risk, making format design part of the sporting outcome.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceAl Jazeera - World Cup Day 1: Schedule, predictions, opening ceremony and what to watchPrimary· aljazeera.com· 11 June 2026Retrieved 11 June 2026· 34 days ago· Dated
- View sourceFIFA - FIFA World Cup 26 match schedule· fifa.comRetrieved 11 June 2026
- View sourceAssociated Press - World Cup what to know: Mexico kicks off a supersized, 48-team tournament· apnews.com· 11 June 2026Retrieved 11 June 2026· 34 days ago· Dated
- View sourceFIFA / media-rights listing - FIFA World Cup 26 media partners· fifa.com· 4 March 2025Retrieved 11 June 2026· 498 days ago· Dated
