Red cards outnumber goals, three host nations, three different fates.

2 goals, 3 red cards. In the opening match of the 2026 World Cup at the Estadio Azteca, a chaotic, brutal affair unfolded. South Africa's Sithole received a straight red first, substitute Zwane followed with a violent tackle in the 84th minute to get another red, and Mexico's Montes didn't make it to the final whistle, sent off in the 90+2nd minute. In the ten-on-nine scenario, Quiñones broke the deadlock with a shot in the 9th minute, and Jiménez sealed the 2-0 win with a header in the 67th minute. South African goalkeeper Williams played with fire at the back, feeding the ball directly to the opposition from a goal kick. A suicidal pass, not an own goal, the goal was credited to Quiñones.

The scoreline was unremarkable, but the weight of Jiménez's goal had to be traced back to the history of 1996. At thirty-five, it was his first World Cup goal. Mexico waited 96 years to win their first opening match. In the inaugural World Cup of 1930, they lost the opener 1-4 to France; since then, they had seven opening matches with 2 draws and 5 losses, without a single win. Waiting from those years until today, it was a first in team history.

Guadalajara sits at an altitude of 1566 meters. South Korea dragged the Czech Republic into a mire at the Akron Stadium. The Czechs scored first, Hwang In-beom equalized, and substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu scored the winner in the 80th minute, a 2-1 result. The 3 points were ugly but hard-earned. At high altitude with low oxygen, the Czechs' stamina ran out first.

At the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the USA crushed Paraguay 4-1. In the 7th minute, McKennie crossed, and Bogadilla's clearance error poked the ball into his own net, gifting the tournament's first own goal. Pulisic was on fire in the first half, assisting Balogun's tap-in in the 31st minute, and in the 45+5th minute, Tillman threaded a pass through, allowing Balogun to curl in a brace. It was 3-0 at halftime.

Then Pulisic was substituted at halftime. He took a kick to his calf. This season, he had already missed a total of 56 days due to four muscle injuries, including a 23-day hamstring layoff. Once he was off, the USA's attack immediately lost power. Without someone who could hold the ball and turn, Balogun had to wait with his back to goal, and the attack deteriorated from fluid and swift to aimless long balls. In the second half, Mauricio pulled one back for Paraguay in the 73rd minute until Reyna's outside-of-the-foot shot in the 90+8th minute sealed the 4-1 win, ending any suspense. 3-0 at halftime, scoring one and conceding one in the second half. This landmine was buried in the calf, but it detonated on the tactics board. Pochettino's attacking system had only one start button.

At BMO Field in Toronto, Canada took an early blow. Bosnia's Lukić scored a header in the 21st minute, silencing the home fans for a full forty minutes. Coach Jesse Marsch was frantic and made three substitutions at once, with Larin equalizing from the bench to make it 1-1. In Canada's third World Cup cycle, they finally scraped their first point.

Marsch said after the game that the Toronto fans created a "hostile environment." The words sounded strange coming from an American's mouth. Marsch was the first American head coach to manage a foreign national team at the World Cup, having just renewed his contract until 2030 before the match. An American holding a contract from the Canadian Football Association, grabbing points in a North American home stadium thanks to a "hostile atmosphere." The hybrid nature of the tri-nation co-hosting was hidden in these details.

On June 14 in Houston, Germany slaughtered World Cup debutants Curaçao 7-1. Nmecha struck in the 6th minute, but Curaçao's Comenencia equalized 1-1 with just their second shot of the game. Curaçao's first World Cup goal in history, Neuer didn't even touch the ball. Slapped in the face by the newcomers, the Germans got desperate. Schlotterbeck headed them back ahead in the 38th minute, Havertz scored a brace with a penalty and a chip, while Musiala, Brown, and Undav each found the net in turn, ruthlessly building the score to 7-1. That single "1" was the only moment from the entire match that Curaçao fans would want to rewatch. Scoring past the German goalkeeper with their second shot, then spending the remaining 90 minutes taking a beating.

On the same day in Dallas, Japan battled the Netherlands for 96 minutes. Trailing twice, they came back twice. Kamada equalized with a corner header in the 89th minute, which BBC called "rescued a deserved point." 2-2. An equalizer, not a winner. But in the group of death, staying alive is everything.

While the fury raged on the pitch, chaos reigned off it. Somali referee Omar Artan, the 2025 African Referee of the Year, was stopped by the US Department of Homeland Security upon landing in Miami. The reason cited was "background screening concerns." Andrew Giuliani, a White House World Cup task force official, defended him with a harsh line: Artan was "in contact with some very bad people." FIFA confirmed he could not officiate but would pay his full salary.

The Iranian team fared worse. While the players got their visas, staff faced delays and denials, and the team was forced to land in Mexico at one point. The Guardian ran a special series on "Visa Chaos."

48 teams, 104 matches, the tournament running from June 11 to July 19. All three host nations went unbeaten in their first matches, a first in history.

Infantino, at his pre-tournament press conference, told everyone to "chill and relax."

Artan's flight had already landed in Mogadishu. He would not officiate this World Cup. The money was paid, but he wasn't allowed in.