World Cup 2026: South Korea fight back, Mbappé message, ad-break fiasco, influencers paid 50,000 dollars | OneFootball

The 2026 World Cup opened on Thursday with drama on and off the pitch. According to Le Progres, the night delivered an on-field comeback, a broadcast blunder and fresh off-pitch storylines.

In Group A, co-host Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 in the opening match. South Korea then trailed to a Krejci strike against the run of play, before Hwang In-beom and Oh Heyon-Gyu turned it around for 2-1. Soucek later had an equaliser ruled out for offside.

France captain Kylian Mbappé said he is putting pressure on Didier Deschamps if, after this World Cup, the coach decides to lead another national team. Deschamps will leave the France job after 14 years of service, and he has been linked with Italy, a move Mbappé called an unattractive prospect.

In Ecuador, the president announced a 20% cut in beer prices for the six-week tournament, appearing in the national shirt and saying the nation is understandably focused on football.

Cooling breaks, new for 2026, doubled as TV ad slots. Fox missed two minutes of play during the first pause, then delayed the second restart while still in adverts, and criticism is unlikely to stop there.

Influencers Austin Franklin and Kevin Akoto will watch all 104 matches from a glass cube in Times Square across six weeks, with 50,000 dollars each to do so.

At France’s Boston base there was buzz around the hotel and training ground, but in the streets there were few World Cup signs and not many supporters. Hopes are that the atmosphere builds as the competition goes on.

Source: Le Progres