South Africa’s national football team will step into the spotlight tomorrow evening (11 June) as they face tournament co-hosts Mexico in the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking the start of a month-long global football spectacle across North America.

The match, kicking off at 21:00 South African time at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, will be preceded at 19:30 by a star-studded opening ceremony featuring international artists including Shakira, Burna Boy, South Africa’s own Tyla, J Balvin, and several Mexican performers.

Three opening ceremonies across three host nations

For the first time in World Cup history, the tournament will feature three interconnected opening ceremonies held across the co-hosting nations of Mexico, Canada, and the United States. Each ceremony is scheduled to begin approximately 90 minutes before the first match hosted in that respective country.

The Mexico City ceremony starts at 11:30 local time (19:30 South African time) and is expected to last approximately 16 minutes and 30 seconds. The performance will include the debut of “Dai Dai”, the official tournament song.

Following the opening match between Mexico and South Africa, ceremonies will continue on Friday, 12 June. Canada will host its ceremony in Toronto ahead of their match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, featuring performers including Alanis Morissette, Michael Bublé, and Alessia Cara.

Later on Friday, the United States will stage its opening ceremony in Los Angeles before facing Paraguay, with performances expected from Katy Perry, Future, LISA, Rema, and Anitta.

A World Cup reunion 16 years in the making

Tomorrow’s opening match holds special significance as it reverses the fixture from the 2010 World Cup opening match, which also took place on 11 June and saw South Africa and Mexico play to a 1-1 draw in Johannesburg.

Hugo Broos has selected a 26-man squad for the tournament, which includes two uncapped players: defenders Olwethu Makhanya from Philadelphia Union and Kaizer Chiefs’ Bradley Cross.

Bafana Bafana will be led by experienced goalkeeper Ronwen Williams from Mamelodi Sundowns, with attacking options including Lyle Foster from Burnley, Evidence Makgopa, and rising star Relebohile Mofokeng, both from Orlando Pirates.

Opening day schedule

The World Cup gets underway with two matches on Thursday, 11 June:

• Mexico vs South Africa (Group A) – Mexico City Stadium, 21:00 (SA time)
• Korea Republic vs Czechia (Group A) – Estadio Guadalajara

On Friday, 12 June, the action continues with:

• Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group B) – Toronto Stadium
• USA vs Paraguay (Group D) – Los Angeles Stadium

The 2026 FIFA World Cup marks the first time the tournament will be hosted by three nations and features an expanded format with 48 teams competing across 16 host cities in Mexico, Canada, and the United States.

South African viewers can watch all matches live on SABC and SuperSport channels.