Need to know
- South Korea come from behind: South Korea came from behind to beat Czech Republic 2-1 at the Estadio Guadalajara. Hwang In-Beom’s moment of magic had cancelled out Ladislav Krejci’s opener before substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu scored the winning goal of the game 10 minutes from time.
- FIFA Fan Festival Toronto evacuated: The opening day of the FIFA Fan Festival in Toronto, Canada, was scrapped after one hour due to weather warnings. After heavy rain hit, organisers were left with little choice but to evacuate the event when a thunderstorm warning was issued.
- Fan Zone overcrowding: While over in Houston, supporters were turned away from the fan zone due to overcrowding fears. Temperatures in the Texas city also hit a huge 93 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mexico win opening game: Following a star-studded opening ceremony that involved performances from Shakira and Burna Boy, Mexico’s misery in World Cup opening games finally ended as they secured a 2-0 win over South Africa. Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez both scored to send the home supporters wild.
- Red card history: But the opening game of the 2026 World Cup made unwanted history after producing three red cards, the most ever shown in an opening match at a World Cup. South Africa’s Yaya Sithole was sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity, and Themba Zwane was dismissed for a slap before Mexico’s Cesar Montes received his marching orders for a late foul.
- VAR drama: Zwane was shown a red card after VAR intervened to review an off-the-ball incident that saw him slap Roberto Alvarado. Following a review prompted by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), Sampaio consulted the pitchside monitor before dismissing Zwane for violent conduct.
- Violent clashes: Shortly before Mexico’s win over South Africa, there were violent clashes outside the Azteca Stadium. Hooded protesters hurled petrol bombs, rocks, bins, bananas and plant pots at riot police and one female officer needed emergency treatment for a badly cut head.
- Spokesperson response: A spokesperson for the secretary of citizen security in Mexico said: “Nearly 200 hooded individuals broke away from two groups of around 800 protesters, but the situation was brought under control by the Metropolitan police.”
- England supporters sent warning: Reece James has warned England fans to get used to weather delays after kick-off against Costa Rica was delayed one hour due to a thunderstorm. He said: “Embracing it is part of that. As I said, it’s the same for both teams. It’s not just for us, we’re preparing the best we can.”
- FOLLOW OUR LIVE COVERAGE: World Cup LIVE: Violent clashes erupt at Azteca Stadium as riot police deployed
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