World Cup 2026 - live: Countdown to kick-off in Mexico TODAY after England's convincing final warm-up match

World Cup 2026 - live: Countdown to kick-off in Mexico TODAY after England's convincing final warm-up match This year's FIFA World Cup will be the biggest in history as 48 nations vie for sport's biggest prize, while an intense political backdrop means plenty of action is expected off the pitch The FIFA World Cup is just hours away - with this year's festival of football taking place against an intense geopolitical and sporting backdrop. This year's tournament will be the largest in World Cup history as 48 nations compete for the ultimate sporting prize - among them England, Scotland, and bookies' favourites Spain. Kick-off in the first game is Thursday, June 11 at Mexico City Stadium, where a sell-out crowd of 83,000 is expected as the hosts play South Africa. Thomas Tuchel's Three Lions will face their first opponents Croatia on June 17, while Steve Clarke's Tartan Army go head-to-head with Haiti on June 13. England won their final warm-up friendly 3-0 against Costa Rica last night, with Jude Bellingham particularly impressing. The last 48 hours have already seen hordes of fans arrive in the three host nations Mexico, Canada and the United States, each hoping their side will go on to book a date with destiny at the final in New Jersey on July 19. But someone who will not be joining the fun is Somalian referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry to the United States this week after a 19-hour interrogation at Miami airport. It comes amid ongoing fears that Donald Trump's ICE immigration enforcement officers could detain undocumented fans. And then there's the ongoing war between the US and Iran, with their national team now playing their games in Mexico in a late rescheduling move 'Extortionate' ticket fees of up to thousands of dollars per game and price gouging from hotels and public transport providers have also cast a shadow over the event. An expanding tournament means more people than ever are expected to watch the action unfold, with experts estimating over 5 billion people could tune in over the next six weeks. The World Cup will officially get underway today, with the first match between Mexico and South Africa set to take place latr today. The two teams will face off on Mexico's home turf in Mexico City, with the Group A match held at the Mexico City Stadium. The match will get underway at 3pm ET, around 8pm UK time. Thomas Tuchel, the German manager of England taking the reins from Gareth Southgate for this year's competition, said he had not decided on his starting 11 for the team's first game when asked following the warm-up yesterday. Speaking to ITV, he said: "No. I will find now 11 for tomorrow's game [against Miami FC, behind closed doors] and then I have another six days, I think. "First of all we do a match tomorrow, another friendly match to get some minutes into the legs of the players who didn't play so much today. "And then the players get 1½ days off, switch off, switch off physically but also mentally. And then we change location, go to Kansas, and we'll prepare for Croatia." England fans had some early joy on Wednesday when the team cruised to victory against Costa Rica in their final warm-up game. The game saw England dominate the field, with Declan Rice, Anthony Gordon and Ollie Watkins all scoring during the game, while the team denied even a single goal from the opposing side. The match will have the team and fans riding a high ahead of the first official game of the cup against Croatia next week.