Good morning and welcome to Daily Mail Sport’s first World Cup Breakfast for this year’s showpiece.
The tournament begins later on Thursday evening when co-hosts Mexico face South Africa at 8pm (BST).
So ahead of the grand opening, here is what you may have missed on the eve of World Cup. World Cup Breakfast is your one-stop shop for all the key things that happened overnight in North America, Mexico and Canada.
For all the latest news, viral moments and what to look out for, stay right here.
OVERNIGHT ACTION
Day 1 and Roy Keane is already up and running.
The no-nonsense pundit, sporting shorts on ITV to beat the heat in New York, did not hold back in his assessment of a former coach of his and now Ghana manager Carlos Queiroz.
‘I just hope they don’t become too defensive. One of Carlos’s biggest strengths was his defensive side of the game,’ he said on ITV.
‘Brilliant coach, huge question marks over him as a manager. I felt like he had the personality of a dead fish when I worked with him.’
Roy Keane, sporting shorts to beat the heat, did not hold back in assessment of Carlos Queiroz
Portugal 2-1 Nigeria
One of the pre-tournament favourites emerged as winners thanks to goals from Pedro Neto and Francisco Conceicao but it was a match to forget for their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 41-year-old missed several clear-cut chances to add to his record-breaking international tally of 143 goals before being substituted in the 65th minute – having been given longer on the field than every other outfield player to start the match for Portugal.
Portugal are in Group K at the World Cup with DR Congo, Uzbekistan and Colombia.
Cristiano Ronaldo failed to have his shooting boots on during Portugal’s 2-1 win over Nigeria
VIEW ON THE GROUND – MIKE KEEGAN IN ORLANDO
WET
Well, England wanted a taste of America and they certainly got it in tropical Orlando last night!
The weather has been a topic on many people’s lips ahead of the World Cup kick-off and biblical storms saw Three Lions fans scattering for any shelter they could find on the streets around the Inter&Co Stadium.
Kick-off was delayed by an hour thanks to the fact that lightning had struck within an eight-miles radius of the venue. Thomas Tuchel and his men were late getting to the ground, with Orlando roads flooded.
Fortunately for those who braved the conditions to see England defeat Costa Rica 3-0, each side of Orlando City’s impressive home was under cover.
Not a lot to note from the match itself but there were some fans who enjoyed it in a novel way… pitchside dining.
England fans were left baffled by the pitchside dining during England’s World Cup warm-up
DRY
To the surprise of nobody, FIFA president Gianni Infantino came out fighting when he delivered his opening address in Mexico City last night.
His organisation has been the subject of widespread criticism thanks to some seriously brutal ticket pricing, with seats starting at $140 and non-corporate seats for the final in New Jersey on July 19 no less than $8,680.
Infantino said the average ticket price of, wait for it, $500, was comparable to other US sports during their play-offs, appearing to compare the current New York Knicks versus San Antonio Spurs NBA finals to Qatar versus Switzerland. ‘If we are doing something wrong, everyone in North America is doing something wrong,’ he said.
CHILL
Infantino added that he was powerless to intervene in the case of the Somali referee who was denied entry to the US.
Omar Artan’s inability to clear customs did not seem to overly trouble the president, who said that while it was ‘unfortunate’, people ‘should chill’.
Infantino added that FIFA cannot dictate to governments who they let in to their countries, but claimed it is ‘working behind the scenes’. ‘We don’t live on the moon, we live on planet Earth,’ he added, for good measure.
HAIL
Forget the fact they have to fly in and out of the US on the day of their match – and that half of their group was denied visas – FIFA deserves credit for the fact that Iran are here.
While self-praise may be no praise, it did not stop Infantino from hailing his own organisation. ‘I don’t know who else would have been able to ensure in these circumstances … Iran could come and play,’ he said.
England’s final World Cup warm-up match was delayed due to torrential rain in Florida
WIND
The waiting is over and the tournament kicks off tonight when Mexico entertain South Africa on home soil in Mexico City.
But who will travel the furthest out of the 48 participating nations? That dubious honour falls to debutants Curacao, who will clock up no fewer than 6,288 miles between matches, jetting from their home in Boca Raton, Florida, to Houston, Kansas City and Philadelphia.
Paraguay, meanwhile, will travel just 642 miles from San Jose, with two games in neighbouring Santa Clara and one in Los Angeles.
PICTURE OF THE DAY
Noni Madueke was given a chance to stake a claim for England’s right-wing berth on Wednesday by starting against Costa Rica.
During the first half he should have doubled their lead when through on goal. Having rounded the goalkeeper and with an open goal gaping, he somehow contrived to hit the post and miss.
Noni Madueke (left) missed an open goal for England during the first half against Costa Rica
VIRAL MOMENT OF THE DAY
A Kansas native has captured the hearts of football fans across the United States with his touching gesture to the Algeria team.
Algeria has made the town of Lawrence, Kansas its homebase for the World Cup.
Lawrence, a town with a population of 96,700 on the outskirts of Kansas City, will host the team in between their Group J clashes against reigning champions Argentina, Austria and Jordan.
One particular local was so enthusiastic to welcome the team to his hometown that his adorable reaction swiftly went viral.
‘I want to say thank you to Algeria for choosing our hometown Lawrence, Kansas,’ the elderly gentleman told Algerian sports television channel, El Heddaf TV. ‘Welcome to the United States. Welcome to Kansas.’
He stood among many fans at the DoubleTree hotel where the team had arrived on Sunday night and will stay throughout the tournament.
‘I came because I was so happy they chose our town for our base camp,’ he added.
‘We just know that Algeria is on the Mediterranean Sea and then the south part is in the Sahara desert,’ he said when asked what he knew about the north African nation. ‘And I know that it gained independence from France around the same time that I was born.
‘So, we don’t know too much but we still want to welcome you here.’
Other locals echoed his sentiment with one young fan citing Riyad Mahrez, the Algerian captain and former Manchester City star, as motive for backing the squad.
‘I just love to support them because if they want to come to Lawrence then we’ll support them. We want them to win and go far,’ he added.
A Kansas native has gone viral for his sweet support of the Algerian team for the World Cup
The Algerian team will call Lawrence, Kansas its homebase for the World Cup
STAT OF THE DAY
According to Opta, England have now won the last nine games that they have played away or at a neutral venue, their longest ever run – promising signs for Thomas Tuchel’s side.
THREE THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR TODAY
1. A unique opening ceremony
For the first time in World Cup history, each of the three host nations will have their own World Cup opening ceremony ahead of their first game of the tournament.
USA and Canada are in action late on Thursday night/early Friday morning so tonight it is Mexico’s turn.
With the way football has changed in recent years, it will certainly be one to keep an eye on – especially if FIFA President Gianni Infantino is involved in some way.
2. An iconic rematch
16 years after kicking off the 2010 World Cup in South Africa when Siphiwe Tshabalala’s opening goal for Bafana Bafana went down in folklore as one of the most iconic strikes in World Cup group stage history, these two teams will get another tournament underway.
It promises to be a fascinating evening, with the game taking place in the recently-revamped Estadio Azteca.
South Africa haven’t been at a World Cup since hosting it back in 2010, yet Mexico have been tipped by many as dark horses this time around having won last year’s Gold Cup following a difficult few years.
A group stage exit in Qatar halted a run of being knocked out at the last-16 stage in seven successive tournaments, so will home advantage help this time?
Mexico play South Africa tonight, 16 years after the same fixture kicked off the 2010 World Cup (pictured – Siphiwe Tshabalala scores an iconic opening goal for Bafana Bafana)
3. Age is just a number
All the talk has been about Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo appearing at their sixth World Cups, but veteran Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa has also reached that landmark.
Ochoa, 40, has been at every tournament since 2006 and he has become a cult hero after repeatedly putting in some incredible performances over that time where he has developed a reputation as a World Cup specialist.
He now plays his football for AEL Limassol in Cyprus and has featured just once for his country since 2024, but with six Gold Cups to his name, is their a final chapter to be written in Ochoa’s World Cup book?
Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, 40, is appearing at a sixth successive World Cup
TODAY’S GAMES
Match: Mexico vs South Africa, 8pm (BST) – ITV 1
Venue: Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
Luke Augustus’ score prediction: 3-1 South Africa
Will Pickworth’s score prediction: 2-0 Mexico
Which England star has 7 GCSEs? Who has lost half of his finger? Test your knowledge of Thomas Tuchel’s squad with our exclusive quiz HERE.
