World Cup 2026 live: Empty seats and ‘mandatory’ water breaks take shine off opening games

The World Cup 2026 saw thousands of empty seats in just the second match to further raise the controversy surrounding Fifa’s ticket prices for the spectacle.

South Korea defeated Czech Republic 2-1 in a gripping Group A contest in Guadalajara.

But amid controversy surrounding the ticket prices at the tournament, with Fifa president Gianni Infantino defending the dynamic pricing policy at his press conference on the eve of the tournament, thousands of empty red seats could be seen throughout the stadium during the contest at the Estadio Akron.

The 2026 World Cup has finally kicked off and co-hosts Mexico needed only nine minutes to go in front against South Africa before securing a 2-0 win in front of a sell-out crowd at the spectacular Estadio Azteca.

Raul Jimenez, finally starting a World Cup match in his fourth appearance at a tournament, headed in the second and shed a tear when celebrating while paying tribute to his father. While the match was undermined by three red cards, one for El Tri after two for their sorry opponents, it was a near perfect start for Javier Aguirre’s side.

In the other Group A fixture, South Korea ran out 2-1 winners over Czech Republic, pulling off a fine comeback after second-half goals from Hwang In Beom and Oh Hyeon Gyu.

Here is everything you need to know from day one of the super-sized tournament: