The biggest World Cup tournament in history has arrived in North America, and soccer fans across the globe are buzzing with excitement for the opening matches and star-studded ceremonies on Thursday and Friday.
From Mexico City to New York to Toronto, millions of spectators draped in their country’s colors will gather to watch as 48 national soccer teams compete at the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup. It’s the first time the tournament will use the newly expanded field, up from the previous 32-team format that had been in place since 1998.
It’s also the first time three nations are hosting one of the world’s most-watched sporting events.
2026 World Cup opening ceremonies
With matches being played in 11 cities across the U.S., Mexico and Canada, fans are getting three World Cup opening ceremonies.
Shakira headlined the festivities before the Group A match between Mexico and South Africa Thursday at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. She joined Nigerian singer Burna Boy in performing “Dai Dai,” the official song of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, at the opening ceremony.
The lineup included other musical artists featured in the FIFA World Cup’s first-ever album, including Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, Maná and Tyla, according to FIFA.
Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images 
In Toronto on Friday, host Canada welcomes Bosnia and Herzegovina at the freshly transformed BMO Field. The stadium said it expanded from 28,000 seats to 45,000 in preparation for the World Cup crowd.
Ninety minutes before kick-off time, at 1:30 p.m. ET, the Great White North will host an opening ceremony with Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé and other performers.
The United States’ opening ceremony will also take place on Friday as the U.S. Men’s National Team faces Paraguay in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup. Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema and Tyla will headline the celebrations in Los Angeles set for 4:30 p.m. local time (7:30 p.m. ET).
“The lineup of artists reflects the cultural diversity of the United States and the vibrancy of its many diasporas, highlighting the nation’s rich influence on music, entertainment and pop culture, while showcasing the power of music to bring people together across the country,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said.
1st Group A World Cup match is a 2010 repeat
Following Thursday’s opening ceremony, Mexico and South Africa faced off in the first match of the tournament.
The matchup feels like déjà vu, as the two nations also faced each other when South Africa hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup. They drew 1-1. This time, the Mexican national team will have the advantage of playing at its home stadium.
Another Group A match Thursday at 9 p.m. local time (11 p.m. ET) pits South Korea against Czechia at Akron Stadium in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico.
On Friday, Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina kick off at 3 p.m. ET in the first Group B match. It will be Canada’s first World Cup match at home.
At SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the United States’ match against Paraguay is set for 6 p.m. local time (9 p.m. ET). The last time the U.S. Men’s National Team played a World Cup match at home was on July 4, 1994, when they lost 1-0 in the Round of 16 against eventual champion Brazil.
The Americans will play in brand-new kits that were inspired by past jerseys, including the stripes from 32 years ago, Nike said.
John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images 
You can follow World Cup news and highlights throughout the tournament at CBSSports.com.
U.S. steps up security for 2026 World Cup
The FBI has mobilized tactical teams to Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle as the cities welcome an unprecedented number of soccer lovers, FBI Director Kash Patel announced earlier this week.
The team of crisis response experts will “help support the massive security work involved in protecting players, fans, and visitors,” Patel said. Fans who are attending the matches in person at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, may need to arrive more than an hour early to get through security, CBS Boston reported.
Marlo Graham, the special agent in charge of the FBI Atlanta field office, told CBS Atlanta that preparing for the men’s World Cup is no different from other large-scale events. The only difference is that the tournament spans 39 days.
“Our tactical teams have been practicing commingled with other tactical teams from other agencies for months leading up to this,” Graham said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will also play a role in security at the World Cup. White House border czar Tom Homan told CBS News last week that ICE’s “primary focus” will be national security, not immigration enforcement.
The tournament follows a more-than-yearlong effort by the Trump administration to tighten entry into the U.S., sparking worries that the games could be impacted.
A Somali soccer referee who was slated to officiate the FIFA World Cup was barred from entering the U.S. over the weekend, Customs and Border Protection said in a statement Monday, citing “vetting concerns.” A FIFA spokesperson confirmed that Omar Abdulkadir Artan was denied entry into the U.S., but officials didn’t disclose the reason.
What can you bring into the 2026 World Cup stadiums?
FIFA’s stadium code of conduct states that nontransparent bags and hazardous items, including weapons, body protection gear, helmets, umbrellas, strollers and chairs, are not permitted inside the World Cup matches.
The organization initially also banned “bottles, cups, jars, cans or any other form of closed or capped receptacle that may be thrown or cause injury,” as well as branded water bottles. But as matches are taking place in the middle of summer, extreme heat has become a health and safety concern, and FIFA received some backlash from fans over the reusable water bottles rule.
“What next? Suncream banned and fans forced to buy it in stadiums?” the Free Lions, a group of English soccer fans, wrote on X. “Naturally, the immediate thought from supporters is this is just the latest money-grab.”
FIFA World Cup 2026 Chief Operating Officer Heimo Schirgi later clarified on social media that one soft, plastic, disposable, factory-sealed water bottle up to 20 ounces will be permitted per spectator at stadiums in the U.S. and Canada. Hard reusable water bottles are still not allowed.
Beverages including water, sodas and juices sold at World Cup stadiums are supplied exclusively by long-time FIFA sponsor Coca-Cola, The Associated Press reported.
World Cup fans excited despite “egregious” ticket prices
With matches being played in 16 stadiums, more fans will get to see the action in person — if they can afford what one fan called “absolutely egregious” ticket prices.
“It’s an absolutely punishing number with regards to the ticket prices to get into a game,” said Phil Labas, the captain of the Chicago chapter of the American Outlaws, a group of 30,000 soccer fans across the U.S.
Ticket prices for the group stages of the World Cup have soared into the hundreds and even thousands of dollars for some matches. Labas told CBS News he’s been to nearly every U.S. Soccer event in the last four years, but this year’s World Cup on home soil has pushed the Outlaws to the nosebleeds.
“We’re in the 300 section. We are upper deck in a corner … It’s an absolute travesty,” he said.
While Labas and the other American Outlaws will be farther away from the action than they would like, they said they’re up for the challenge.
“You’ll hear us, you’ll see us if they pan up, but we will absolutely be there,” Labas said.
Teams to watch in the 2026 World Cup
With the 2026 World Cup expected to become one of the biggest gambling events of all time, bettors are keeping a close eye on favorites to make it out of the group stages.
German economist Joachim Klement, who has predicted the past three World Cup winners, told CBS News’ Ramy Inocencio that his 2026 pick is a somewhat unlikely team: the Netherlands.
Klement said he put the small country above sportsbooks’ favorites like France, Spain, England and Brazil because the Netherlands is among “teams that are constant outperformers.” The Netherlands has reached the FIFA World Cup final three times, in 1974, 1978 and 2010.
“I think they have a team that doesn’t have real stars, like [Lionel] Messi for Argentina, but they are a team that is very, very leveled in the performance of every one of the players in the team. So there’s no real weak spot,” he said. “The second thing is they have a really good defense, and in soccer more so than in most other sports, is the saying that offense wins matches, defense wins tournaments.”
As for the U.S., Klement said there is good news and bad news.
With the Americans in Group D, the good news is that the USMNT is evenly matched with Paraguay, Australia and Turkey, giving the U.S. a chance to make it out of the group stage and possibly be set up for a run to at least the quarterfinals, he said. However, the bad news is that soccer just isn’t America’s favorite pastime.
“The U.S. has so many sports that compete for the talent pool that it isn’t really the dominating, most important sport in the U.S.,” Klement said. “While if you go anywhere in Europe or Latin America, it’s soccer and then there’s the rest.”
Despite soccer’s popularity ranking, Bookies.com predicts Americans will wager $3.1 billion on World Cup games through online sports betting. That’s up from $1.8 billion in 2022, CBS News previously reported. Prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket are projected to handle another $2.4 billion in bets, according to the forecast from the online sports betting site.
