The biggest World Cup ever kicks off tonight at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. Forty-eight teams are divided into twelve groups, with three host nations (USA, Mexico, and Canada) starting at 9:00 PM with the first Group A match between Mexico and South Africa .
An unprecedented three-country edition, where even the opening ceremony is split into a triptych: not just the Azteca, but also Toronto and Los Angeles. Italy is watching for the third time in a row , but at least the mind behind the ceremonies is Italian: Marco Balich, fresh from the Milan-Cortina Olympics. While Kate Perry will be in the US, the star in Mexico City is Shakira, returning to the World Cup after her hit song 'Waka Waka' in South Africa 2010. In Canada, Alanis Morissette and Michael Bublé are among the performers .
A World Cup spread across three countries, each almost as large as a continent, with a staggering 48 national teams competing for the title: sixteen stadiums, twelve groups, and for the first time a round of 32, for a total of one hundred and four matches spread across the Americas . The top two in each group, plus the eight best third-placed teams, advance.
A tournament so open to the world that it welcomes national teams like Curaçao and Cape Verde, yet in some ways closed. At least in the United States, with the highly controversial cases of the refusal of the Somali referee and the shocking checks on only a few national teams—primarily Uzbekistan and Senegal—which even world champion Fabio Cannavaro, coach of Uzbekistan, paid the price for.
In Mexico, the arriving teams found forests of sombreros to welcome them, in an atmosphere of celebration and folk dancing, while foreign fans were already mingling with locals in the streets of the host cities.
"I don't regret this World Cup. If you want to criticize me, go ahead. But please, promote the fact that football unites the world," defended FIFA President Gianni Infantino. "Let's get the right people in," Trump emphasized .
