Mexico delivered a fiesta for the senses to declare the 2026 World Cup finals open at the Estadio Azteca, but just how ‘open’ they truly are remains the subject of fierce debate.
Headlined by pop superstars Shakira and Burna Boy, fans joined in enthusiastically with the entertainment unfolding before them in a riot of colour, whetting the appetite before the co-hosts’ opening game against South Africa.
Hollywood star Salma Hayek Pinault delivered a call for global unity, at a finals whose build-up has highlighted just how divided and full of inequality the world can be.
Mexico’s passion for football cannot be called into question, nor its right to co-host these finals.
Mexico’s relationship with the World Cup goes right back to the very beginning, when they took on France in Montevideo in one of two matches which opened the 1930 finals.
They have hosted memorably on two previous occasions – first in 1970 when a Brazil team widely regarded as the greatest ever swept to glory, and again in 1986 in a tournament lit up by the talent of Diego Maradona.
The hope is that this tournament too, will be remembered for its football. The United States’ right to co-host, at a time when the Trump administration’s policies are causing grave concern to human rights groups, has been the subject of far greater debate.
The tournament is also the first where a host is at war with a participant. Despite all the uncertainty after American and Israeli military strikes launched in February, Iran will kick off their campaign on Monday in Los Angeles.
There is also the question of just how open to the ‘world’ this World Cup is. FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Wednesday that the average ticket price of under 500 US dollars (£374) compared favourably with equivalent tickets to attend play-off matches in US sports.
The atmosphere during the @FIFAWorldCup 2026 opening ceremony! 😍🎶 pic.twitter.com/J1IEOC9ysk
— FIFA (@FIFAcom) June 11, 2026
Those prices however are a world away from even the last two finals in Russia and Qatar, and the argument pitched by Infantino – that if tickets had been sold too cheaply they would have readily been resold at much higher prices – hardly seems like a reasonable justification.
Throw into the mix high prices for accommodation and transport, and the fear is that this tournament will be for those with the deepest pockets, not the deepest passion.
That said, there was no danger of an empty seat in the Azteca, which was rocking and full to the brim in plenty of time for a lively opening ceremony.
