In just 7 of the 22 opening matches in World Cup history have draws been recorded, while some results included major upsets – such as Cameroon’s 1990 win over Argentina, and Senegal’s 2002 victory over reigning champions France.
Tonight’s opening match features Mexico – one of the three host nations – against South Africa. It is a Group A match, which also includes South Korea and the Czech Republic.
The game at the iconic Azteca Stadium will kick off at 22:00 Cyprus time, drawing global attention as millions of fans await the start of the tournament.
Opening match results at World Cups:
1930: France–Mexico 4–1
1934: Italy–USA 7–1
1938: Switzerland–Germany 1–1
1950: Brazil–Mexico 1–0
1954: Yugoslavia–France 1–0
1958: Sweden–Mexico 3–0
1962: Chile–Switzerland 3–1
1966: England–Uruguay 0–0
1970: Mexico–USSR 0–0
1974: Brazil–Yugoslavia 0–0
1978: West Germany–Poland 0–0
1982: Belgium–Argentina 1–0
1986: Bulgaria–Italy 1–1
1990: Cameroon–Argentina 1–0
1994: Germany–Bolivia 1–0
1998: Brazil–Scotland 2–1
2002: Senegal–France 1–0
2006: Germany–Costa Rica 4–2
2010: South Africa–Mexico 1–1
2014: Brazil–Croatia 3–1
2018: Russia–Saudi Arabia 5–0
2022: Qatar–Ecuador 0–2
Source: CNA
