Empty seats and mandatory water breaks cloud World Cup 2026's opening day

Thousands of empty seats and a contentious water-break policy have overshadowed the opening day of World Cup 2026, even as the football itself delivered drama across both Group A fixtures.

Mexico set the tone with a composed 2-0 victory over South Africa at the Estadio Azteca, a sell-out crowd watching Raul Jimenez head home the second goal in what was his fourth World Cup — his first as a starter. The veteran striker was visibly emotional, paying tribute to his father as he celebrated. The match was marred by three red cards, two for South Africa and one for Mexico, but Javier Aguirre’s side were rarely troubled.

In the other Group A game, South Korea came from behind to beat Czech Republic 2-1, with second-half goals from Hwang In Beom and Oh Hyeon Gyu completing the turnaround. However, the occasion was dulled by the sight of thousands of empty red seats visible throughout the stadium — a pointed image given the controversy over FIFA’s dynamic ticket pricing policy, which president Gianni Infantino had defended only the day before.

The water breaks have also drawn criticism. Under a rule applied to every match at the tournament, regardless of ambient temperature, play is stopped for three minutes in each half. USA head coach Mauricio Pochettino was direct in his opposition. “When the conditions are good it is not necessary to have water breaks,” he said.

Attention now turns to the other two co-hosts. Canada face Bosnia and Herzegovina before the United States take on Paraguay. Donald Trump is not expected to attend either fixture.