After all the build-up, the 2026 World Cup finally gets going on Thursday 11 June, and the entire slate is the opening round of Group A — just two matches, but the first carries all the weight of a curtain-raiser. ITV has the rights to Mexico against South Africa in Mexico City, a repeat of the opening game from the 2010 World Cup, when these sides got the tournament underway in Johannesburg. Sixteen years on, Mexico are the hosts.
The standout is unmistakably El Tri versus Bafana Bafana at the Estadio Azteca. There are no standings to read into yet since it’s matchday one, so the stakes are simple: get points on the board early in a group that also features South Korea and Czechia. Those two meet in the early hours of Friday morning UK time in Guadalajara, an early gauge of who Mexico and South Africa will be scrapping with for a place in the knockouts.
Today’s World Cup schedule in the UK, Thursday 11 June
- 20:00 BST — Mexico vs South Africa. Round: Group A, first round of the group stage. TV: ITV (ITV1 / ITVX). Stadium: Estadio Azteca, Mexico City.
- 03:00 BST (early hours of Fri 12 June) — South Korea vs Czechia. Round: Group A, first round of the group stage. TV: ITV (ITV1 / ITVX). Stadium: Estadio Akron, Guadalajara (Zapopan).
Fill the gaps between matches this week:
24 July 2026 00:00 + more dates
4 October 2026 17:00 + more dates
