The 2026 FIFA World Cup belongs to three nations, Mexico, the United States and Canada.
And in the first two days of the tournament, all three made sure the party was still going by the time the dust settled on their opening matches.
No host nation lost. No home crowd went home heartbroken. The tournament, for now, belongs to its hosts.
Mexico went first, and they went with a bang. In front of a packed Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Julian Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez scored to give El Tri a 2-0 win over South Africa on the opening night of the tournament.
The Azteca became the first stadium in history to host the opening match of three separate World Cups, having done so in 1970 and 1986 as well.
The match was also the most red-card heavy in World Cup history, three dismissals in total, two for South Africa and one for Mexico, leaving the Africans down to just nine men.
But Mexico were clinical, professional and fully deserving of the win. The Azteca roared from the first whistle to the last.
The next day, the United States took the stage in Los Angeles and they did not just show up. They put on a show.
In their joint biggest World Cup win ever, the hosts thrashed Paraguay 4-1 at Los Angeles Stadium.
With Folarin Balogun scoring twice in the first half to become the first American to net two goals in a World Cup game since the inaugural 1930 tournament.
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Christian Pulisic pulled the strings before being withdrawn at halftime as a precaution, while Giovanni Reyna capped the night with a sublime finish in stoppage time.
Balogun was asked how it felt after the game. “A real dream,” he said. “It’s a dreamy night.”
Canada’s opening was the most emotional of the three.
The co-hosts avoided becoming just the second World Cup host nation to lose their opening match, rallying from a goal down to earn a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto, in front of a crowd that included hockey superstar Connor McDavid and actor Ryan Reynolds.
Jovo Lukić headed Bosnia ahead in the 21st minute, and Canada pushed and pressed for the equaliser, earning 10 corner kicks in the first half alone. It took a substitute to deliver it.
Cyle Larin came off the bench and scored two minutes later to level the match, earning Canada their first ever point in World Cup history.
“I score when Canada needs me,” Larin said simply.
Three nations. Three different stories. One shared outcome, no host went home without a result.
The 2026 World Cup is up and running, and the three countries carrying it are still very much in it.
