USA flag booed before World Cup 2026 opening game in Mexico City | OneFootball

The United States flag appeared to be met with loud boos and jeers before the opening game of the World Cup in Mexico City.

Ahead of the big kick-off between Mexico and South Africa, the flags of all 48 teams participating in this summer’s tournament were paraded onto the pitch.

The final three flags to take to the pitch were those of the three North American co-hosts, the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The flags of all 48 teams were paraded onto the pitch before kick-off (Reuters)

However, there was a marked change in atmosphere when the United States were introduced and their flag was displayed on the stadium’s big screen.

From jubilant roars, the noise of the crowd shifted, with loud boos audible as the flag of the United States was brought forward.

There were then further cheers as the attention quickly turned to Mexico flag, ahead of the start of the co-host’s match at the iconic Azteca Stadium.

The United States will host 78 of the 104 games during this World Cup, three times more than Mexico and Canada combined.

The build-up to the 48-team tournament has been marked with several controversies, most of which involve the United States and president Donald Trump.

Notably, the United States launched strikes against Iran, one of the participating teams, in February.

There were louder boos for Fifa president Gianni Infantino when he was first shown on the big screen during the match.