World Cup 2026 kicks off: Mexico hosts opener vs South Africa

The tournament, hosted jointly by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will run through July 19 and feature the world's top national teams competing for football's most prestigious trophy.

According to experts, Spain and France national football teams enter the tournament among the leading favorites. Defending champions Argentina national football team will seek to retain the title they won at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

One of the tournament's most anticipated storylines is the debut of the Uzbekistan national football team at a FIFA World Cup. The squad includes former Kazakhstan Premier League players Igor Sergeev and Odiljon Khamrobekov.

Kazakhstan will also have representation at the tournament through Ivan Basic, a current player for FC Astana, who is set to feature for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team.

The opening matches on June 12, Kazakhstan time, will see Mexico face South Africa at 00:00, followed by South Korea against the Czech Republic at 07:00.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to kick off across the United States, Canada and Mexico, analysts, bookmakers and prediction markets had identified a familiar group of favorites. According to Opta's supercomputer, Spain entered the tournament as the leading contender for the title, ahead of France, England and defending champions Argentina.