Mexico and South Africa kick off World Cup 2026 | OneFootball

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There's just over half an hour to go to kick off but the football world doesn't stop. Real Madrid have just confirmed José Mourinho's return. The Portuguese's returns to the Bernabéu has been the worst-kept secret and is now official as he signs a three-year contract.

Nothing confirmed yet but this would be a major injury for Japan ...

And the South Africa side is here. We're huge fans of the old school nature of this ...

And here's the Mexico XI confirmed ...

By the way, the opening ceremony has started but we know you're not here for that so there's no way I'm live-blogging Shakira for the next hour.

In the meantime here's a great video from one of the South Africa staff from pitchside ...

There's no neat team news graphics available yet but the FIFA website has assured us those are the teams below.

And those line-ups have been confirmed on the official FIFA website. It means that new Wolves signing Raul Jimenez leads the line for Mexico whilst Lyle Foster spearheads the South Africa attack.

Although we haven't seen anything officially from FIFA yet, we believe these are the teams for tonight's match ...

Mexico: Rangel - Reyes, César Montes (capt), Vásquez, Gallardo - Erik Lira, Álvaro Fidalgo, Brian Gutiérrez - Alvarado, Raúl Jiménez, Quiñones

South Africa: Williams (capt) - Mudau, Sibisi, Okon, Mbokazi, Modiba - Mokoena, Shitole, Adams - Rayners, Foster

With this being the largest World Cup in history, third-placed teams will be getting into the round of 32. But how exactly does that work I hear you ask? Our friends at the Independent lead us through the possibilities here.

If all goes to plan we should be getting the team news ahead of tonight's game in around 30 minutes. Stay tuned for that!

Now this is World Cup heritage ...

And here's pitchside ahead of tonight's match ...

Have a sneak peek inside the Azteca thanks to the BBC's John Murray ...

If you need anything else to get you in the mood. If you're in Mexico City right now, I'm insanely jealous ...

Tonight's match is going to be taking place at the Azteca which, for my money, is the most iconic stadium in world football. She looks stunning ahead of kick off ...

Need a comprehensive guide to tonight's match? Our friends at the Football Faithful can give you the lowdown on everything ahead of the match. Read more here.

This is about to be the biggest, longest and most intense World Cup ever. But what are your predictions for the next six weeks? Who will win? Who are the dark horses? And how are you going to stay awake during those late night matches? Let us know in the comments!

The wait is over. Four years after Argentina's triumph in Qatar, the World Cup has returned, this time to Mexico.

The opening game of the 2026 edition will kick off this evening with co-hosts Mexico taking on South Africa.

It's a repeat of the 2010 match that saw both sides play out an entertaining 1-1 draw and, frankly, we can't wait for this one.