2026 FIFA World Cup Day 1 recap: Burna Boy lights up Azteca as Mexico and South Korea pick up wins

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is finally underway after an electric opening ceremony and two exciting Group A games.

It was indeed a perfect start to the greatest show on earth, as Mexico had the distinct honour of being the first country to host three World Cup opening matches. 

Here is Pulse Sports’ recap of how the opening day of the 2026 FIFA World Cup ceremony went. 

Before the first ball was kicked, fans inside Estadio Azteca and those watching on TV were treated to a range of exciting performances from different artists during the opening ceremony. 

One of the performers of the day was Nigeria’s top artist, Burna Boy, who performed with World Cup legend Shakira for their hit song ‘Dai Dai’. 

Dai Dai is one of the anthems of this year’s FIFA World Cup, so it was only right for Shakira and Burna Boy to perform the song at the opening ceremony. 

As the owner of the song, Shakira was the first to pop as she sang the opening verse before Burna Boy came through with his own verse. 

Dressed in a dapper pair of denim jeans, the ‘Won da mo’ crooner entertained fans with his silky voice as he belted his verse in a typical Burna Boy version. 

The explosive multi-cultural track, whose name is an Italian phrase translating to “let’s go” or “come on”, blended Shakira’s distinct Latin pop rhythm with Burna Boy’s signature heavy Afrobeats groove.

Following the opening ceremony, the real business started on the pitch, as Mexico hosted South Africa in the opener. 

Playing in front of a packed Estadio Azteca, La Tri got off to a perfect start as they beat the Bafana Bafana 2-0. 

Al Qadsiah striker Julian Quinones put the home side ahead with a fine finish after capitalising on an error from Yaya Sithole, who had a game to forget, as he was also sent off for a foul on Brian Gutierrez. 

Moments after Sithole’s red card, Mexico doubled their lead through Raul Jimenez, who headed home superbly from close range. 

Things then went from bad to worse for the Bafana Bafana, as Themba Zwane was also sent off for violent conduct following a VAR review. That was not the last of the red cards, though, as Mexico’s Cesar Montes was also sent off for denying South Africa a goalscoring opportunity. 

However, despite Montes’ dismissal, Mexico secured a comfortable 2-0 win to take control of Group A. 

The second match of Group A saw South Korea take on the Czech Republic, who were making a return to the World Cup. 

It was the Koreans who dominated the first half, but despite their dominance, they could not find a way through, as the match went into the break with no goals. 

The second half resumed in a similar fashion, but it was the Czechs who took the lead against the run of play, through Ladislav Krejci. The Wolves defender headed home a long throw from Vladimir Coufal to give his side the lead. 

The lead did not last long, though, as In-Beom Hwang levelled the scores for the Koreans in the 69th minute. Hwang’s equaliser gave South Korea more life, and they used that energy to score the winner through Hyeon-Gyu Oh, ten minutes from time. 

The win puts South Korea level on points with Mexico, although La Tri lead the group on goal difference.