South Korea's comeback, three red cards and a fan festival evacuation: World Cup 2026 opens in chaos

The 2026 FIFA World Cup opened with controversy and drama on its first night, as Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0 at the Azteca Stadium in a match that set an unwanted record, while South Korea staged a comeback win and off-field incidents overshadowed the celebrations.

Mexico’s historic — and chaotic — opener

Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez scored to give Mexico a 2-0 victory over South Africa in the tournament’s opening match, ending Mexico’s long run of struggles in World Cup openers. The result was overshadowed, however, by an unprecedented three red cards — the most ever shown in an opening World Cup match.

South Africa’s Yaya Sithole was dismissed for denying a goalscoring opportunity, while teammate Themba Zwane was sent off for violent conduct after VAR reviewed an off-the-ball incident in which he slapped Roberto Alvarado. Referee Edina Alves Batista consulted the pitchside monitor before showing Zwane his second red card of the evening. Mexico’s Cesar Montes also received his marching orders for a late foul.

The occasion had begun on a high note, with a star-studded opening ceremony featuring performances from Shakira and Burna Boy.

Violence outside the Azteca

Shortly before kick-off, violent clashes broke out outside the Azteca Stadium. Hooded protesters hurled petrol bombs, rocks, bins, and other objects at riot police, with one female officer requiring emergency treatment for a serious head wound. A spokesperson for Mexico’s secretary of citizen security confirmed that nearly 200 individuals broke away from a larger group of around 800 protesters, but said the situation was brought under control by the Metropolitan police.

South Korea come from behind

At the Estadio Guadalajara, South Korea produced one of the night’s most compelling results, overcoming Czech Republic 2-1. Ladislav Krejci had given the Czechs the lead, but Hwang In-Beom’s moment of individual quality drew South Korea level before substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu settled the contest with a winning goal 10 minutes from time.

Fan festival and fan zone disruption

Off the pitch, the opening day of the FIFA Fan Festival in Toronto was cut short after just one hour when a thunderstorm warning prompted organisers to evacuate the venue. In Houston, supporters were turned away from the fan zone due to overcrowding concerns, with temperatures in the Texas city reaching 93 degrees Fahrenheit.

England’s weather warning

England defender Reece James urged supporters to adapt to weather-related disruptions after the team’s match against Costa Rica was delayed by one hour due to a thunderstorm. “Embracing it is part of that,” James said. “It’s the same for both teams. It’s not just for us — we’re preparing the best we can.”