World Cup LIVE: Violent clashes erupt at Azteca Stadium as riot police deployed

Football’s biggest event is officially underway as the 2026 World Cup kicked off in Mexico on Thursday night. After a star-studded opening ceremony featuring legendary singer Shakira, Mexico’s misery in World Cup opening games finally ended as they secured a 2-0 win over South Africa. Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez both scored; however, the game will be remembered for the three cards Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio produced. South Africa's Yaya Sithole was sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity, and Themba Zwane was dismissed for a slap before Mexico's Cesar Montes received his marching orders for a late foul. The 2026 World Cup will be the largest in history, as 48 nations compete for the ultimate sporting prize - among them England, Scotland, and bookies' favourites Spain. Tuchel's Three Lions will face their first opponents, Croatia, on June 17, while Steve Clarke's Tartan Army go head-to-head with Haiti on June 13. England won their final warm-up friendly 3-0 against Costa Rica on Wednesday night, with Jude Bellingham particularly impressing. The last 48 hours have already seen hordes of fans arrive in the three host nations Mexico, Canada and the United States, each hoping their side will go on to book a date with destiny at the final in New Jersey on July 19. But someone who will not be joining the fun is Somalian referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry to the United States this week after a 19-hour interrogation at Miami airport. It comes amid ongoing fears that Donald Trump's ICE immigration enforcement officers could detain undocumented fans. And then there's the ongoing war between the US and Iran, with their national team now playing their games in Mexico in a late rescheduling move. 'Extortionate' ticket fees of up to thousands of dollars per game and price gouging from hotels and public transport providers have also cast a shadow over the event. An expanding tournament means more people than ever are expected to watch the action unfold, with experts estimating over five billion people could tune in over the next six weeks. Bet £10, Get £40 in free bets Place a min £10 pre-event bet with Betway at min odds of 2.0. £40 worth of Free Bet Tokens awarded on bet settlement. 4 x £10 each with betting restrictions. 7 day expiry. New customers only | Debit Card deposits only (exclusions apply). 18+ | www.begambleaware.org | Please Play Responsibly Group A standings So after two matches, a look at how things stand in Group A. Full-time: South Korea 2 - 1 Czech Republic It is all over at the Estadio Guadalajara and South Korea have come from behind to beat Czech Republic 2-1. Ladislav Krejci opened the scoring just before the hour mark, but goals from Hwang In-beom and Oh Hyeon-gyu secured Hong Myung-bo’s side all three points. South Korea are joint top of Group A with Mexico. Goal 2-1 South Korea South Korea take the lead through Oh Hyeon-gyu, who deflects the ball into the net after good work from Paik Seung-ho. But this game is far from over, as the Czech Republic have just gone very close to drawing themselves level. Goal 1-1 (Hwang In-beom) South Korea weren’t behind for long as Hwang In-beom draws his side level with a fine finish after some fine footwork. Just over 15 minutes of normal time remaining at the Estadio Guadalajara, and it is very much game on. Goal - 1-0 Czech Republic It has been all South Korea, but Czech Republic take the lead through Ladislav Krejci. Vladimir Coufal launches a long throw into the box, and Krejci heads the ball home. All very simple. Dutch courage as they look to break their World Cup jinx From Jeremy Armstrong in Kansas City The Dutch hold the record for playing the most World Cup finals without ever winning the tournament. But they are determined to go all the way this time. The drive up to their Kansas training ground is lined with small signs recording their impressive record in each year of the competition. Holland's heyday was without doubt the 1970s, in 1974 and 1978 the Dutch reached the FIFA World Cup final. They again reached the final in 2010, but a win has eluded them. In 2010, they lost 1-0 to Spain. The Dutch have never lost a World Cup match in regular time by more than one goal, and have not lost a match since the 2010 final. Their 2014 and 2022 campaigns both ended in defeat by way of penalty shoot-out and both by Argentina. At the top of the drive leading to their KC training complex, the sign reads: "2026: This is Our Year." Goalless at the break Goalless at the breakat the Estadio Guadalajara. Although South Korea should probably be ahead, having dominated the opening 45 minutes. Son Heung-Min has had plenty of chances, but the former Tottenham Hotspur man has been wasteful in front of goal. Whirlwind 24 hours for Marcos Senesi It's been quite a 24 hours for Marcos Senesi. The defender has just completed a move from Bournemouth to Tottenham on a free transfer, and will seal the deal when his contract expires on July 1. And Senesi has now been forced to shelve his holiday plans, in favour of jetting to North America to link up with the Argentina squad preparing for the World Cup. Senesi is replacing Leonardo Balerdi, who picked up a muscle problem in training and will be sidelined for the tournament. Senesi is now on a plane heading to Kansas. The World Cup holders have been drawn in Group J along with Algeria, Austria and Jordan. Senesi is of Italian descent and had been eligible to represent the Azzurri. But he pledged his international future to Argentina instead. And will be glad he did, considering the Italians didn't even secure qualification for this tournament. He made his Argentina debut in 2022 - and will now join new Tottenham team-mate Cristian Romero as his club's Argentinian representation at this World Cup. Here we go Here we go. Match number two of the 2026 World Cup between South Korea and Czech Republic is about to get underway, with team news below. South Korea: Kim Seung-gyu; Lee Han-beom, Kim Min-jae, Lee Gi-hyuk; Seol Young-woo, Hwang In-beom, Paik Seung-ho, Lee Tae-seok; Lee Kang-in, Son Heung-min (c), Lee Jae-sung. Czech Republic: Matej Kovar; Stepan Chaloupek, Robin Hranac, Ladislav Krejci (c); Vladimir Coufal, Tomas Soucek, Alexandr Sojka, Jaroslav Zeleny; Lukas Provod, Patrik Schick, Pavel Sulc. Good Morning Good morning and welcome to the MIrrro’s World Cup coverage. Mexico got the World Cup party started on Thursday night as the co-hosts swept away South Africa 2-0. But before that, Shakira and Burna Boy were among the stars who performed at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City for the 2026 World Cup opening ceremony. Other stars who took to the stage at the opening ceremony included Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and South Korean singer EJAE, who performed a rendition of their song 'DNA'. While on the pitch, Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez both scored as South Africa finished with nine men, while Mexico were reduced to 10 in the closing moments. South Africa's Yaya Sithole for denying a goalscoring opportunity and Themba Zwane for a slap before giving Mexico's Cesar Montes his marching orders for a late foul. Game number two of the competition between South Korea and Czech Republic gets underway very shortly. Latest from the United States Our reporter Jeremy Cross says: "Houston is hotting up now the World Cup has kicked off. To such an extent that organisers of the downtown Fan Zone had to turn punters away this afternoon. "While the local fire department revealed they had been forced to deal with 16 heat related incidents in the Texas city. Temperatures have reached a sizzling 93 degrees Fahrenheit. "Football fanatics flocked to the Fan Zone to watch the World Cup opener between Mexico and South Africa. But organisers raised concerns about overcrowding in the hot weather - and decided to refuse entry to some people because the venue was packed to capacity for several hours. "Local business owners have also raised concerns about increasing traffic, road closures and the fact football supporters are spending their cash in the Fan Zone, rather than with them." Mexico vs South Africa short summary Our reporter Jeremy Cross at Azteca, wrote: "Raul Jimenez broke down in tears of joy after helping Mexico dispatch nine-man South Africa to make a winning start to the World Cup on home soil. "The co-hosts had a dream opening when Julian Quinones capitalised on a defensive blunder to fire Mexico ahead inside nine minutes. Quinones' goal was the earliest scored in the opening game of a World Cup tournament since 2006. "South Africa's afternoon went from bad to worse on 50 minutes when Yaya Sithole was sent off for preventing a clear scoring chance. It was the first red card brandished in an opening clash since 1994. "And Mexico's advantage took its toll on 16 minutes later, when new Wolves striker Jimenez headed home a second inside a bouncing Azteca Stadium - to notch his first ever World Cup goal on his 124th international appearance. "And South Africa's misery was complete when Themba Zwane saw red as well. Before Mexico's Cesar Montes became the third player in one game to be shown his marching orders - for the first time in an opening match in World Cup history." Full-time! The dream start for Mexico, with Quinones and Jimenez both on the scoresheet for the hosts. But you get the feeling this tournament could be full of red cards. Mexico 2-0 South Africa Mexico are now down to 10! Cesar Montes is now sent off by Sampaio - this is absurd. The Mexican centre‑back is dismissed for bringing down the last man outside the box. Nothing comes of the South Africa free‑kick. Another red card for South Africa! South Africa are down to nine after Zwane is shown a straight red card. Referee Wilton Sampaio is sent to the pitch‑side monitor to review an incident that appears to show Zwane slapping Alvarado. A nightmare start for the Rainbow Nation. Raul Jimenez doubles Mexico's lead The new Wolves star heads home his first World Cup goal. A special moment for Jimenez, who is visibly in tears as he celebrates. Mexico 2-0 South Africa. Sithole's sending off The 25‑year‑old's sending‑off means he will be absent for South Africa’s second game against Czech Republic next Thursday. Back underway and a red card is shown! Sithole has been shown a red card. He brings down last‑man Gutierrez to halt the counter‑attack. William Gallas' verdict on drinks break Gallas argues that drinks' breaks disrupt the flow of matches, with a three‑minute stop planned in both halves. Speaking to SveaCasino, he said: "The players make the show, so we have to care about them and put them in the best condition. It's going to be very hot, and I've seen that they will try to stop the games to give the players an opportunity to drink water. "However, that will kill the tempo of the game. I don't know why they didn't think about this beforehand. Maybe they can stop the game once per half, as has happened in the past when it was too warm. But if it's more than once, it can kill the speed of the game and impact which team is leading or behind. "Can you imagine if your team is behind, putting on pressure to equalize, and then the referee stops the game for a water break? The manager is going to be furious. However, as I said, we have to protect the players. We don't want to see a player not feeling well on the pitch." Half-time: Mexico 1-0 South Africa Mexico lead at the break after Quinones' opener. The hosts have fired off 10 shots, three on target, compared to South Africa's single effort on goal. From Ciudad Juarez US Border Patrol agents shouted 'viva Mexico' as they monitored fans streaming from the USA into Mexico to watch the national team play the opening match of the World Cup. On the road from El Paso to Ciudad Juarez, our correspondent Zak Garner-Purkis was warned to stay alert by a local journalist. "There has been a guidance issued by the Ministry to tourists about their safety," Kevin Palomino said as we crossed the border. The city is ranked among the most dangerous in the country, long associated with cartel violence. Yet as we made the crossing, the atmosphere was surprisingly festive despite the boiling heat. A man with a six‑foot Mexico flag strapped to the back of his trailer blasted music, and supporters celebrated the opening goal wildly. South Africa are pushing South Africa keep pressing, and Lyle Foster goes close with a header that flashes wide. Just over five minutes to go until half-time. Clashes outside Azteca Chaotic scenes at Gate 8 of the Estadio Azteca as fans clash with police. Enfrentamiento en la puerta 8 del estadio azteca #CDMX pic.twitter.com/V3Nb08D5g3 — Proyecto Ambulante (@proamboax) June 11, 2026 There it is! Hosts Mexico take lead Julian Quinones fires the hosts in front after Erik Lira pinches the ball off Yaya Sithole on the edge of the box, allowing the forward to sweep his finish past Ronwen Williams. Mexico 1-0 South Africa. Raul Jimenez chance! The Mexican registers the first effort of the match, drilling a shot from the edge of the box that Ronwen Williams beats away. Here we go! Kick-off is underway Mr Worldwide shows his appreciation Pitbull has shown his appreciation to Shakira after the Colombian icon's performance at the opening ceremony. Mr Worldwide has shared a snap on social media of himself and Shakira on social media, tagging the official World Cup account in the post. GOOOAAAALASOOOO @FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/mG7sbTJk2s — Pitbull (@pitbull) June 11, 2026 National anthems underway The national anthems of Mexico and South Africa are belted out. The home nation are singing their hearts out. That was special. Not long now! The World Cup trophy is now being presented by Gianni Infantino as kick‑off rapidly approaches. Players are making their way onto the pitch. Excited? More celebrations Mexico receive huge cheers as they're joined by the flags of Canada and the USA - with the latter getting a noticeably quieter reception. And now Andrea Bocelli takes to centre stage.