The 11 Possible Matchups for 2026 World Cup Opening Game

Mexico has 11 potential opponents for the inaugural game of the 2026 World Cup.

El Tri will host the opening game of the 2026 World Cup. / Omar Vega/Getty Images

The 2026 World Cup group stage draw is here and FIFA have already announced the 11 potential nations that could face the Mexico national team in the opening game of the tournament.

FIFA confirmed the pots every qualified nation will be assigned to in the group stage draw. All 48-teams will play against one team from each of the other pots during the group stage, but previously, the draw also determined the order of the matchups.

An unprecedented rule change has resulted in every host nation already knowing their path through the group stage. Instead of having the matchups drawn in a random order, Mexico, the USMNT and Canada already know when they’ll face their opponents from each pot.

El Tri and the USMNT will first face a nation from pot 3, then a rival from pot 2 and will finish the group stage facing a team from pot 4.

Because of this new rule and given Mexico will host the inaugural game of the 2026 World Cup, there’s only 11 potential opponents El Tri could face in the opening game.

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The 11 Potential 2026 World Cup Opening Game Matchups

Mohamed Salah’s Egypt could face Mexico in the opening game of the 2026 World Cup / Abdel Majit Bziouat/AFP/Getty Images

1. Mexico vs. Norway
2. Mexico vs. Egypt
3. Mexico vs. Algeria
4. Mexico vs. Scotland
5. Mexico vs. Paraguay
6. Mexico vs. Tunisia
7. Mexico vs. Ivory Coast
8. Mexico vs. Uzbekistan
9. Mexico vs. Qatar
10. Mexico vs. Saudi Arabia
11. Mexico vs. South Africa

El Tri could potentially face two of the best Premier League players in the opening game of the World Cup. Erling Haaland’s Norway and Mohamed Salah’s Egypt are two the strongest teams in pot 3 and would be tough opponents for the inaugural game of the tournament.

Apart from Egypt, four other African nations are potential opening game rivals for Mexico. Algeria, Tunisia, Ivory Coast and South Africa could feasibly be drawn in Group A as the pot 3 representative, automatically placing them as El Tri’s rival in the opening match. Mexico faced South Africa in the iconic opening match of the 2010 World Cup and that matchup could repeat itself 16 years later.

Uzbekistan could be a tough nut to crack for Mexico in its tournament debut. El Tri defeated Saudi Arabia 2–1 in its most recent World Cup game, which wasn’t enough to avoid a group stage exit in 2022. Now, there’s a chance Mexico could play consecutive World Cup games vs. Saudi Arabia, this time in 2026’s curtain-raiser. Qatar, the nation that hosted the opening game in 2022, could play the first game in the competition for the second tournament in a row.

Mexico’s last game of 2025 was a disappointing 2–1 defeat at the hands of Paraguay. As fate would have it, Gustavo Alfaro’s side could be El Tri’s rival again in its debut next summer.

Although Panama is also placed in pot 3, it can’t face Mexico in the World Cup group stage because rules don’t allow two Concacaf nations to be in the same group.

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When and Where is the 2026 World Cup Opening Game?

The Estadio Azteca will host its third World Cup in 2026. / Hector Vivas/Getty Images

The opening game of the first ever 48-team World Cup will be played on June 11, 2026. It will be the first of the 104 games that will be played in the tournament, shattering the previous record by 40 games.

The momentous occasion deserves a worthy venue and it will get exactly that. The iconic Estadio Azteca in the heart of Mexico City, where Pelé and Diego Maradona both won a World Cup final, will become the first stadium in history to host not only three World Cups, but three opening games of soccer’s most prestigious competition.

The soccer cathedral has been under renovation since the summer of 2023, preparing to host five games—including the opening match—in next summer’s spectacle.

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