Kickoff Games Through the Years: A Look Back at World Cup Openers

The format has changed, and why should expectations be kept low? Ahead of the start of the World Cup

Sport 5 Published: 11.06.26, 19:26 (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP via Getty Images) | Photo: Sport 5

In one moment, all at once, one whistle will be heard around the world. A whistle that will send billions of people into a state of alert and announce: it has begun. The 2026 World Cup will kick off tonight (Thursday) at 10:00 p.m. with the opening match, which will pit one of the three hosts, Mexico, against South Africa, a replay of the opening match from 2010, when South Africa was, as we remember, the host. The opening match is a festive event. It begins with the famous, impressive ceremony and continues with a game that may have symbolic meaning, but usually it is meant to be the first taste of the exciting month ahead.

But this custom, it turns out, was not always here, and it is relatively new. A hero of an unforgettable opening match. Milla (Photo by dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images) | Photo: Sport 5

In the first World Cup in 1930, for example, there were two matches played at the same time. Four years later, at the tournament held in Italy, the first day included no fewer than eight matches played simultaneously. Only in 1938 did the tradition of a single opening match become established, but it had no real symbolic significance and was simply another match between Switzerland and Germany, which was then under Nazi rule. Only in 1966, at the World Cup hosted by England, was the tradition of a festive opening match established. It was the match in which the host, the Three Lions, took the field and played against Uruguay. That match, by the way, ended 0-0, just like the match that followed it, between the host of the 1970 World Cup, Mexico, and the Soviet Union.

In 1974, something changed. FIFA decided to increase the appeal of the match and chose to begin where it had left off, meaning the opening match would feature the reigning world champion. That tradition continued for 38 years, until 2002. It was not always a particularly convenient arrangement for the champion. Of the eight opening matches, the team that arrived with the World Cup trophy won only twice. In 1994, in the United States, West Germany beat Bolivia 0-1, and four years later, Brazil beat Scotland 1-2 thanks to Tommy Boyd's own goal. During that period, there were also plenty of surprises, for example in 1982 in Spain, reigning world champion Argentina arrived with Maradona and lost 1-0 to Belgium. Eight years later, Argentina came again as champion and was defeated 1-0 at San Siro by Cameroon, with Roger Milla's famous dance. And the peak was, of course, in 2002, with Senegal's sensational win over mighty France, 0-1 from a goal by Papa Bouba Diop.

Then we returned to the original formula. Ahead of the 2006 World Cup, FIFA decided that the reigning world champion would no longer receive an automatic ticket to the tournament. That meant it was no longer possible to know in advance whether the world champion would even be in the next World Cup, so the old custom returned, with the host leading off the first match. And so we got Germany's 2-4 win over Costa Rica, that goal by Tshabalala and South Africa in a match that ended 1-1, and Russia's five-goal display against Saudi Arabia in 2018.

History shows that, more often than not, opening matches do not reach a high level. Since the tradition was established in 1974, most opening matches have ended, at best, with three goals, meaning they signal a slow start to the tournament, which gathers momentum as it goes on. In other words, do not be surprised if this match also lacks many exciting moments, but they are definitely waiting for you further down the road.

In the last match, host Qatar fell rather easily to Ecuador. It was also a sign of its poor tournament, as it became the only host in World Cup history not to earn even a single point in the group stage. Mexico, one of the three hosts, will try to improve that impression at the Azteca Stadium. The first course of the World Cup is waiting for us very soon. Come hungry.

2026 World Cup Spotted a typo?