From The Sports Desk: Mexico wins opener, U.S. starts its World Cup journey tonight
Mexico opened the 2026 World Cup with a 2-0 win over South Africa. The U.S. men begin their campaign tonight against Paraguay in Los Angeles.
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The newsletter recaps the first results of the 2026 World Cup and turns to the U.S. men’s opener against Paraguay. It also notes South Korea’s comeback win, Canada’s first match, and a final player profile on Kylian Mbappé.
The World Cup is starting, and Mexico already won its first game. Now the U.S. team is like a kid starting the first day of a big school tournament, with everyone watching to see if it can do well.
Analysis
World Cup opening day
Mexico won the tournament opener 2-0 over South Africa in front of a packed home crowd at Azteca Stadium. Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez scored, while the match turned increasingly chaotic as South Africa finished with nine players after two red cards and Mexico also had a red card in stoppage time.
The newsletter says the three red cards made it the first opening match in World Cup history to feature that many dismissals. Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said his team could have been ahead by more at halftime and emphasized that winning the opener was the main priority.
U.S. focus
The article then turns to the U.S. men’s national team, which starts its World Cup journey tonight in Los Angeles against Paraguay. The U.S. is ranked 17th by FIFA and has reached the knockout round in four of its last six World Cups, but has never gone beyond the quarterfinals.
Christian Pulisic is the central figure for the Americans. The newsletter describes him as the player most associated with the team’s ceiling this summer, but Pulisic says he is trying not to let the pressure take over and wants to stay in the moment.
Other tournament notes
South Korea also came from behind to beat Czechia 2-1 after trailing in the second half. Canada opens against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto and is still chasing its first World Cup win. The piece closes with a countdown feature on Kylian Mbappé, who remains one of the defining stars of the tournament.
Key points
- Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 in the World Cup opener in front of a full crowd at Azteca Stadium.
- The opener featured three red cards, the most ever in a World Cup opening match.
- The U.S. men begin play tonight in Los Angeles against Paraguay.
- Christian Pulisic is the key player being asked to lead the Americans.
- South Korea beat Czechia 2-1 after a second-half comeback, and Canada opens against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
If the U.S. starts with a win, it would build momentum and calm some of the pressure around the team. A strong home-tournament opening could also sharpen attention on Pulisic and the rest of the squad as real contenders for their best finish ever.
If the U.S. stumbles against Paraguay, expectations at home could turn quickly into criticism. The article also notes that the team has never passed the quarterfinals, so anything short of a deep run could feel like another missed opportunity.
