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The opening fixtures of the World Cup, featuring Mexico versus South Africa and South Korea against the Czech Republic, provided plenty of drama and discussion points for football fans worldwide.

The first day of the 2026 World Cup certainly lived up to expectations, delivering excitement, controversy, and emotion in equal measure.

Co-hosts Mexico began their campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win over a nine-man South Africa side, despite being reduced to ten players themselves late in the match. Later, South Korea came from behind to defeat the Czech Republic in an entertaining contest.

Here are the major talking points from the opening day of World Cup 2026.

The clash between Mexico and South Africa started brightly, with the hosts producing some slick football in the opening twenty minutes. Julian Quinones opened the scoring, while South Africa matched their intensity even if they struggled to match the same level of quality.

However, the momentum seemed to fade following the first drinks break, as both sides began to tire under the scorching conditions.

It’s difficult to determine how much the heat contributed to what followed, but fatigue and lapses in concentration certainly played a role in the three red cards shown in the second half.

Yaya Sithole was sent off for a last-man foul on Brian Gutierrez just outside the box, Themba Zwane received his marching orders after striking Roberto Alvarado in frustration, and Cesar Montes also saw red for a cynical foul on Khuliso Mudau — arguably the most debatable of the three dismissals.

The spate of red cards raised concerns that this World Cup might see too many games spoiled by overly harsh decisions.

This match, in particular, was effectively decided by those sendings-off. Mexico appeared content to manage their lead, while South Africa had already acknowledged prior to kick-off that any points from their opener would be a bonus given the forgiving group stage format — with eight of the twelve third-placed teams set to advance to the knockout rounds.

The later game provided reassurance that the tournament wouldn’t be defined by disciplinary chaos, though organisers will hope early kick-offs in sweltering venues do not follow suit.

It has been a long and challenging journey for Raul Jimenez, but his joy and relief after scoring a World Cup goal on home soil were clear for all to see as he broke down in tears of happiness.

The Mexican striker, who recently agreed to rejoin relegated Wolves as a free agent from Fulham, suffered a life-threatening head injury in 2020 that nearly ended his career.

Having fought his way back to regular football for both club and country, the thought of missing out on representing Mexico at a World Cup hosted in his homeland would have been devastating. His emotional celebration after doubling Mexico’s lead captured the hearts of fans everywhere — a truly special moment that will be hard to top during the group stage.

In contrast, it was a frustrating day for South Korea’s captain Son Heung-min. The former Tottenham Hotspur forward, now with LAFC, found himself at the centre of all his side’s attacking play in a dominant first half against the Czech Republic but failed to convert any of his six chances.

Son missed several opportunities — dragging one shot wide after a brilliant solo run, poking another past the post when scoring seemed easier, and striking straight at the goalkeeper after being played through on goal. To add to his frustration, he was substituted in the 69th minute shortly after Hwang In-beom equalised, only to see his replacement, Oh Heyon-Gyu, net the winning goal soon after.

While South Korea ultimately secured the victory, their talisman will be eager to produce a more clinical display as the tournament progresses.

Meanwhile, the Czech Republic’s opener came from a familiar source — the long throw-in. The debate over the tactical value of throw-ins and set pieces dominated much of the 2025/26 domestic season, and it may well continue during this World Cup.

Former West Ham defender Vladimir Coufal launched a powerful throw from the right-hand side into the Korean six-yard box, where Ladislav Krejci timed his run perfectly to head home at the near post.

Later in the match, Tomas Soucek thought he had doubled his side’s lead from a free kick, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. It seems the art of set pieces — and particularly the long throw — will once again be a talking point throughout this tournament, even if football fans have been debating it for years.