The 2026 FIFA World Cup officially got underway in Mexico City with a colourful opening ceremony at the Azteca Stadium featuring performances from Shakira, J Balvin, Burna Boy, Danny Ocean, Andrea Bocelli and other international artists before a crowd of more than 80,000 fans.
Mexico launched its campaign with a 2-0 victory over South Africa, delighting home supporters at the country’s first World Cup on home soil in four decades. Authorities reported that around 200 masked protesters broke away from larger demonstrations and clashed with police outside the stadium, temporarily disrupting nearby metro services before the situation was brought under control.
Separate marches by teachers and families of missing persons were also held to draw attention to their causes as Mexico, alongside co-hosts the United States and Canada, welcomed the start of the expanded global tournament.
TVNZ holding the World Cup hostage for $45 is a slap in the face to every Kiwi who bleeds black. We’ve already paid via the ads flooding our screens; this paywall is pure greed, plain and simple. Football isn’t a luxury product for shareholders – it’s our culture, our history, our right. Try locking out a generation and see how long your ‘business model’ lasts when the streets turn against you. The game belongs to us, not your balance sheet. But your woke sh*t shows don’t cut it anymore. Watch this space.
Need to reduce/remove dependence on TVNZ and media in general. Set up a “people’s forum” where the people themselves get and post their own news ignoring mainstream media.