World Cup 2026 LIVE: Latest news and updates, Mexico vs. South Africa buildup, England 3-0 Costa Rica reaction

Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live news feed of Day 1 of the World Cup 2026 competition! Every day, we will be bringing you the latest news from the global gathering - from injury updates and press conference quotes to other noteworthy topics.

On Day 1, the focus inevitably lies with the buildup to the opening match between Mexico and South Africa, as well as reaction to England's convincing 3-0 triumph over Costa Rica in their warm-up friendly.

World Cup 2026 Day 1: What to look out for?

Fans are counting down the hours until the first whistle blows at the World Cup, as in a rematch of the 2010 curtain-raiser, co-hosts Mexico and South Africa will do battle at the Estadio Azteca in Group A.

El Tri are backed to get the job done against Bafana Bafana, who memorably held the Mexicans to a 1-1 draw 16 years ago; few will forget the Siphiwe Tshabalala rocket from that stalemate.

A few hours after Mexico and South Africa cut the World Cup ribbon, South Korea and Czechia will also collide in the other inaugural Group A fixture, one that the hardcore fans in UK timezones will be tuning into at 3am sharp.

El Tri's fellow co-hosts Canada and the United States will soon follow suit, as the Canucks battle Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday evening, followed by the Yanks' encounter with American neighbours Paraguay.

Elsewhere, reaction continues to come in to England's emphatic success over Costa Rica, which saw Declan Rice, Anthony Gordon and Ollie Watkins find the back of the net following a two-hour delay due to torrential rainfall in Orlando. 

Thomas Tuchel's side now have just over a week to prepare for their tournament opener against Croatia in Group L.