Mexico vs. South Africa: How to watch, date, time, live stream and TV channel for 2026 World Cup opener

Mexico will open the 2026 World Cup on Thursday evening with a clash against South Africa.

Co-hosts Mexico are the favourites to top Group A, and El Tricolor will be expecting to begin their campaign with a victory over section underdogs South Africa.

Here, Sports Mole provides details of how to tune into the contest.

What time does Mexico vs. South Africa kick off?

The World Cup match will kick off at 8pm UK time on Thursday.

Where is Mexico vs. South Africa being played?

The World Cup fixture between Mexico and South Africa will take place at the historic Azteca Stadium, which is the largest stadium in Latin America with a capacity of 87,523.

It is the only stadium to host three editions of the World Cup.

How to watch Mexico vs. South Africa in the UK

TV channels

The World Cup contest will be available on ITV1.

All 104 matches at the competition are on free-to-air TV for UK viewers, split between ITV and BBC.

Online streaming

UK viewers can stream the game live online via ITVX, which is available on a number of devices, including desktop, laptops, smartphones and tablets.

Highlights

Highlights of the World Cup opener will be available on BBC iPlayer, ITVX, as well as their respective X, Facebook and YouTube channels.

TikTok will also, for the first time ever, have highlights of every match.

What is at stake for Mexico and South Africa?

This is a repeat of the opening match of the 2010 World Cup, which finished 1-1, and the atmosphere will be electric on Thursday, as the 2026 competition finally begins.

There is no question that Mexico are the favourites to top Group A, which also includes South Korea and Czechia, with South Africa very much the underdogs.

Mexico have never been past the quarter-final stage of a World Cup, and they were eliminated in the group stage of the 2022 competition, so there is pressure on the co-hosts this summer.

South Africa, on the other hand, have never made it to the knockout round of a World Cup.

Mexico will be aiming to record a first-ever competitive win over South Africa, with their two previous successes over the national team arriving in friendlies.

> Our full preview of Mexico vs. South Africa can be found here