World Cup 2026 Group Stage: Mexico and South Korea open Thursday night fixtures

Mexico kick off the 2026 FIFA World Cup against South Africa at 8pm UK time on Thursday, with South Korea facing Czech Republic in Guadalajara at 3am Friday morning in the tournament’s opening Thursday night slate.

The Mexico vs South Africa match serves as the official curtain-raiser for the tournament, with UK viewers able to catch the game on ITV1. US audiences can watch at 3pm ET / 12pm PT, with English-language coverage on FOX and Spanish-language coverage on Telemundo.

The South Korea vs Czech Republic fixture follows in the early hours of Friday morning for UK viewers. In the United States, that game begins at 10pm ET / 7pm PT, with English coverage on FS1 and Spanish coverage on Telemundo. BBC One, BBC Two, and iPlayer alternate with ITV1, ITV4, and ITVX across the tournament’s Thursday night and overnight slots, meaning viewers will need to switch between the two free-to-air broadcasters depending on the fixture.

In the United States, FOX Sports holds exclusive English-language rights throughout the group stage. High-profile afternoon and early evening matches will air on over-the-air FOX, while late-night fixtures are expected to move to cable network FS1. NBCUniversal holds all Spanish-language rights, with Telemundo carrying the majority of linear broadcasts and Universo covering a smaller selection of games.