Over 1 billion people expected to watch FIFA World Cup 2026 opener Mexico vs South Africa tonight

The FIFA World Cup 2026 opener will be played between Mexico and South Africa.

Set to start in a few hours, the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be the biggest and grandest in the tournament’s history. With 48 nations participating and 104 matches played across three countries, the summer competition has been one of the most anticipated tournaments in recent years.

A total of 16 cities will host the matches, as Mexico also becomes the first country to host the FIFA World Cup three times (in 1970, 1986, and 2026). Meanwhile, four nations, Curaçao, Uzbekistan, Cape Verde, and Jordan, are making their FIFA World Cup debut in the 2026 edition.

Interestingly, only Brazil has qualified for the coveted tournament on every single occasion. Argentina’s Lionel Messi, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, and Mexico’s Guillermo Ochoa are three players set to feature in their sixth World Cup campaign.

Last year’s winner, Argentina’s top star Lionel Messi, also holds the record for most appearances in the competition with 26. However, there are a few more viewership records that could be broken at the 2026 edition.

Also Read: IShowSpeed predicts FIFA World Cup 2026 winner; not Messi’s Argentina

Over 1 billion people worldwide will watch the FIFA World Cup 2026 opening match

Until now, over 1 billion people have already clocked in to watch the opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 between Mexico and South Africa. The match will be played at the Mexico City Stadium in Mexico. The Mexico City Stadium, also known as the Estadio Azteca, becomes the first stadium to host three separate World Cups.

However, the record for most viewers in a single match is held by the final of the last edition between Argentina and France. The thrilling match, which went into penalties, reportedly had ~1.5 billion viewers.

Second on the list is the 2018 World Cup final between France and Croatia at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, which reportedly had a total of 1.12 billion viewers. If the pattern holds, the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to be played on July 19 at MetLife Stadium, will break viewership records.

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