Julián Quiñones scored the first goal of the 2026 World Cup in the ninth minute on Thursday, giving Mexico the early edge in its match against South Africa and setting the tone for a lively opening stretch. Mexico went on to trounce South Africa as the tournament’s first days began to fill with goals, ceremonies and the kind of stadium noise that makes a World Cup feel immediate.
That first strike is part of why searches for where to watch world cup 2026 for free are peaking now: fans are following the action as it unfolds across Mexico, Canada and the United States, with another major match on Friday when the USA played Paraguay at SoFi Stadium. The opening ceremony in Mexico drew Salma Hayek Pinault in a scarlet suit topped with a Boucheron brooch, alongside Shakira, Burna Boy and Andrea Bocelli, while Canada hosted its own ceremony before the home team faced Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Canada’s ceremony also featured Alessia Cara, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé and Alanis Morissette, who performed “O Canada.” In Los Angeles, the tournament’s arrival came with a different kind of planning: LA Metro offered enhanced World Cup bus service and Metrolink rail service to SoFi Stadium from 15 different locations in Los Angeles and Orange counties, with a bus ride costing $1.75. For fans trying to get there, the spectacle was matched by logistics built to keep the crowds moving.
The friction behind the celebration is simple enough to see. The opening days were presented as a global party, but the tournament was also being managed as a transit and venue challenge, with extra buses and rail service layered onto one of the busiest sports calendars of the year. Before the USA took on Paraguay, Future and Tyla performed “Game Time,” Lisa, Anitta and Rema sang “Goals,” and Katy Perry joined a 10-year-old singer, Tius, on “Wonder,” a reminder that the tournament’s first impression was being built as much off the field as on it.
For now, Quiñones owns the first memorable moment of the tournament, and the next test is whether the opening-week pageantry can stay ahead of the practical demands that come with moving thousands of people between ceremonies, matches and stadium gates.
