And we're off! So what did we learn from day one at the 2026 World Cup?

After all the hype and months of build-up, the 2026 World Cup finally got underway tonight as Mexico and South Africa kicked off proceedings at the Azteca. 

It took the co-hosts just nine minutes to get the party started as they went on to record an opening-day victory over the African side and set a marker down for not just the group but the tournament. 

So, we're 90 minutes in, 1 of 104 games down, so what did we learn from the tournament's curtain-raiser? 

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World Cup 2022 best goals

Featuring Brazil, Mexico, Cameroon, France

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Watching Mexico will be fun 

Mexico are a nation that love their football, and that was on full display inside the famous stadium. There's no doubt that home advantage will play a huge role for the co-hosts, with the locals on hand to create a feverish atmosphere for their national team throughout the group stage. 

So, what about the actual team they are so passionately behind? A 2-0 win, which was about as comfortable as an opener can get, didn't tell us too much about the Mexican side. 

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They were miles better than their South African opponents, and punished their mistakes to get the job done. In truth, the scoreline could have been more, but three points is what was needed and it should already see them progress to the knockout rounds. 

The Mexicans have attackers who can hurt you, and with a rapid crowd behind them every game will be worth watching, but it's hard to judge how they'll cope with tougher tests later in the competition. 

One of those tests could be England, but that's get there when we need to. 

VAR is here and watching 

Like it or not, VAR made its presence known in the opening game, even if it had no bearing on the actual result. 

Having already gone down to ten men following Yaya Sithole's professional foul early in the second half, the game came to a halt with five minutes to go after the referee was made aware of a collision just outside of the Mexico penalty box.

Themba Zwane was adjudged to have slapped Roberto Alvarado and was shown a red card in an incident that very few saw until VAR got involved. 

Rightly or wrongly, it was a sign that the system is fully committed to getting involved, so be prepared for the more controversial interference at some point.

A third red card late on for Mexico's Cesar Montes also suggests we may see some strict refereeing and some harsh sendings off over the next few weeks. 

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The minnows may well be minnows

World Cup upsets are part and parcel of the tournament's legacy, but South Africa showed here that the bottom rung of teams in this competition really are going to struggle. 

Bafana Bafana are not even one of the lowest-ranked teams in the competition, but offered very little in quality. 

With debutants and nations with even less to offer to come, there could be a lot of games that pass us by, such is the gulf in quality between the two teams. 

Cape Verde meet Spain, while Curacao come face-to-face with Germany, and things could get ugly. 

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