Three host nations take the stage today. But first — everyone is still talking about last night.

The 2026 World Cup opened with a bang at the Azteca. Julián Quiñones scored the first goal of the tournament at just 9 minutes, then Raúl Jiménez sealed it at 67' — notably his first-ever World Cup goal despite years of waiting. The final scoreline was convincing, but the drama came from the cards: three red cards in a single match. Sphephelo Sithole went at ~49', Themba Zwane at ~84', leaving South Africa with nine men. César Montes then saw red at 90+2' for Mexico. For context: the entire 2022 World Cup across 64 matches had only 4 red cards. This opener had three. 1

Son Heung-min's likely final World Cup game kicked off at 10PM ET. South Korea's captain — 132 caps, 51 goals — leads Hong Myung-bo's side against Czechia (back at a World Cup for the first time since 2006). Schick vs Kim Min-jae is the aerial duel to watch. 2

Canada opens their home campaign at BMO Field (Toronto) at 3PM ET against Bosnia and Herzegovina — with Michael Bublé and Alanis Morissette headlining the opening ceremony. Then at 6PM ET, the USMNT make their debut at SoFi Stadium (Inglewood) against Paraguay, with Katy Perry, Future, LISA, and Anitta performing the US ceremony. Three host nations. Three full ceremonies. Biggest Day 2 in World Cup history. 3