▲ A view of the Mexico City Stadium
The 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup, the world's biggest football festival, is now just two days away.
The official opening match, marking the start of the tournament, will feature host nation Mexico against South Africa at the Mexico City Stadium on June 12 at 4:00 a.m. (KST).
This opening match serves as an ironic "return match," taking place 16 years after their last encounter.
Coincidentally, the two teams also faced each other in the opening match of the 2010 South Africa World Cup, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Mexico, currently on an undefeated streak after remaining unbeaten in all eight friendly matches played this year, aims for their first victory with the fervent support of their home fans, while the "underdog" South Africa looks to pull off an upset.
The 23rd FIFA World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada for 39 days, starting with the opening match and running through July 20.
This North and Central America tournament is the largest in history, with the number of participating nations significantly increased from 32 to 48.
With the expansion of participating countries, the total number of matches has also risen sharply from 64 to 104.
Consequently, the tournament format has undergone major changes.
Teams will be divided into 12 groups (Groups A through L) of four for the group stage. After the group stage, the top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to a "Round of 32" knockout stage.
This means the high-stakes "single-elimination" matches, which previously began at the Round of 16, have now been extended by an additional round.
With third-placed teams also having a chance to advance to the knockout stage, the countless "scenarios" that could shake up the group stage dynamics have emerged as a key point of interest for the tournament.
While the lower barrier to entry has allowed teams like Curaçao and Jordan to step onto the dream stage for the first time, the physical burden on the powerhouse teams aiming for the title is expected to increase significantly.
The South Korean national team, making its 11th consecutive appearance in the World Cup, is aiming to achieve its best-ever performance in an away tournament by reaching the quarterfinals.
Led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, the national team will play its crucial first match against the dark horse Czech Republic, which advanced through the European qualifiers, at the Guadalajara Stadium on June 12 at 11:00 a.m. (KST).
They will then face Mexico at the same venue on June 19 at 10:00 a.m. (KST), followed by their final group stage match against South Africa in Monterrey on June 25 at 10:00 a.m. (KST).
(Photo: Getty Images Korea)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.