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FIFA Sets New 2026 World Cup Protocols as Mexico’s Opener, Home Dates and Ticket Crunch Come Into Focus

Uniform hydration breaks and revised tiebreakers reflect player-welfare and competitive tweaks for the expanded 48-team tournament hosted across three nations.

Overview

  • Mexico will kick off the tournament on 11 June 2026 against South Africa at Estadio Azteca and play Group A matches on 11 June (Mexico City), 18 June (Guadalajara vs. South Korea) and 24 June (Mexico City vs. UEFA playoff winner).
  • FIFA confirmed three opening ceremonies—Mexico City on 11 June, then Toronto and Los Angeles on 12 June—and a first-ever halftime show for the 19 July final in the New York–New Jersey venue.
  • All matches will include mandatory three-minute hydration pauses around the 22nd minute of each half, squads are capped at 26 players with 15 available on the bench, and head-to-head results now precede overall goal difference as the first group-stage tiebreaker.
  • Secondary-market listings for the MexicoSouth Africa opener range roughly from 53,848 to about 922,548 pesos, and local analyses project that 65–75% of seats in Mexican venues will go to tourists or corporate allocations, leaving an estimated 31,500–44,100 Mexican fans across the Tri’s group games.
  • Confirmed assignments indicate additional marquee teams in Mexican stadiums, including Spain, Uruguay, Japan, Tunisia, Colombia, South Korea and Uzbekistan, bringing high-profile matchups to Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.