☕ Good morning, and welcome to the World Cup.

If yesterday was any indication, buckle up. Mexico opened the tournament with a win and three red cards in front of a roaring Estadio Azteca crowd, the most chaotic opening match in World Cup history. South Korea pulled off one of the great comeback wins of the day, with Hwang In-beom turning a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 victory almost single handedly. Records fell, stars debuted, and the biggest World Cup ever proved in 24 hours that it's going to deliver on the hype.

But that was just the appetizer. Tonight, it comes to us. The United States hosts its first World Cup match on home soil since 1994, and Canada hosts its first ever men's World Cup match, period. Two co-hosts, two stadiums, one massive night for soccer in North America. Grab your coffee, because today's edition has everything you need before kickoff.

The wait is over. Tonight at SoFi Stadium, the United States makes its 2026 World Cup debut against Paraguay, the first home World Cup match for the Americans since 1994. Group D kicks off with co-host pressure squarely on the USMNT, and a sold out crowd of 70,000 in Inglewood promises an atmosphere unlike anything this team has played in before.

Mauricio Pochettino's group enters healthy, with one major boost: center back Chris Richards has been cleared to play less than four weeks after a serious ankle injury suffered at Crystal Palace. Pochettino called it "a really good feeling to have 26 players available to be selected," though he hasn't said whether Richards starts or comes off the bench. The Argentine coach also has a starting goalkeeper picked between Matt Freese and Matt Turner, but he's keeping that under wraps too, joking he doesn't want the media descending on whoever gets the nod.

Pochettino has framed the moment as one to embrace rather than fear. "We are very motivated and excited for the moment to arrive," he said, adding that the key tonight is "transforming all this anticipation into energy" and reminding his players that, at its core, "it's a game" they should feel free to enjoy.

Familiar faces remain from the Qatar run: Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Tyler Adams all return, while Chris Richards and Folarin Balogun headline the newer wave Pochettino is counting on. Former USMNT boss Gregg Berhalter, who will watch from the stands, said he expects "big things" from this group and credited the legacy of 1994 for the infrastructure and player development that built today's team.

For Paraguay, just being here is already a victory. Gustavo Alfaro's side ended a 16 year World Cup absence, and the veteran Argentine coach made clear his players know what that accomplishment means, while also making clear they're not satisfied with simply showing up.

"In my view they have already won," Alfaro said of his squad's qualification run. "After 16 years they qualified when it seemed impossible, when there was no hope." But he was equally direct about tonight's ambitions: "We are not here just to be part of the World Cup. We're here to compete."

Paraguay got encouraging injury news on Strasbourg winger Julio Enciso, who trained normally this week after a muscle injury suffered in a pre tournament friendly against Nicaragua and even took part in a practice match. Alfaro confirmed Orlando Gill will start in goal, and said Enciso would likely start if he's deemed ready.

Midfielder Diego Gómez, speaking through tears, captured the emotional weight of the moment for the squad. "We are very happy to be here. We know everything it took to get to the World Cup and now we have the responsibility to represent the country well," he said, also thanking the wave of Paraguayan fans who've turned out across San José and Los Angeles. "Seeing so many Paraguayan flags and hearing their support motivates us even more to have a great World Cup."

Tactically, tonight pits two Argentine coaches against each other with very different footballing DNA: Pochettino's attacking instincts shaped under Marcelo Bielsa against Alfaro's pragmatic, defense first approach built on discipline and dangerous counters. Alfaro called Group D, which also includes Australia and Turkey, "one of the most evenly matched groups in the World Cup."

Kickoff is set for 9pm at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

The biggest World Cup in history kicked off Thursday at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca, and co host Mexico delivered for the home crowd with a 2-0 win over South Africa, though the night will also be remembered for a record setting three red cards.

Julián Quiñones got things rolling less than nine minutes in, slotting through South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams' legs for the tournament's first goal, the earliest opener since Philipp Lahm scored for Germany in 2006. "I'm happy and excited to have scored in this packed stadium with the fans supporting us the whole time," Quiñones said. "We played well and we achieved this victory as a team."

South Africa's day unraveled from there. Sphephelo "Yaya" Sithole was sent off early in the second half for a foul on Brian Gutiérrez, and Themba Zwane followed him after a VAR review for a strike on Roberto Alvarado. Mexico added to the chaos late, with César Montes shown a third red card in stoppage time, the most cards in any World Cup opener ever.

In between the cards, veteran striker Raúl Jiménez headed home Mexico's second goal midway through the second half, his first World Cup goal and his 46th international goal overall in his 127th cap. It came 12 years after his World Cup debut and marked his first career start in a finals match. Jiménez, who suffered a fractured skull in a 2020 collision while playing for Wolverhampton and still wears a protective headband as a result, called the moment the product of years of work. Mexico also gave a World Cup debut to 17 year old Gilberto Mora, the youngest player to ever suit up for Mexico at a World Cup.

Coach Javier Aguirre admitted his team battled nerves early. "When you're starting out the World Cup, of course your legs will shake," he said. "We were in awe when we saw the stadium and they got a little bit of stage fright. But we never suffered. We could have scored four and it would have been completely different."

Midfielder Érik Lira struck a confident tone looking ahead. "The sky is the limit," he said. "We're not going to settle for anything." Mexico sits atop Group A with three points and returns to action June 18 against South Korea in Guadalajara. South Africa plays Czechia the same day in Atlanta.

The opening ceremony brought its own star power, with performances from Shakira, Maná, and Andrea Bocelli, plus a surprise appearance from Salma Hayek. Shakira performed the tournament's official song, "Dai Dai," alongside Burna Boy.

This is why you don't leave the couch in the second half. Down 1-0 to Czechia and looking out of answers, South Korea found one anyway: Hwang In-beom took a pass from Kang-in Lee, cut inside off the right, sold a shot fake that left two Czech defenders grasping at air, and curled a gorgeous finish just inside the far post. It was the beautifully taken leveler that sparked South Korea's comeback win. Thirteen minutes later, Hwang turned provider, setting up Oh Hyeon-gyu's winner from the right flank.

Canada makes its long awaited bid for a first ever men's World Cup victory tonight, hosting Bosnia and Herzegovina at BMO Field in Toronto in the tournament's first match on Canadian soil. The co-hosts have lost all six of their previous World Cup matches across 1986 and 2022, and coach Jesse Marsch says this is exactly the moment he signed up for.

"I came here to lead them in the World Cup, right, in a home World Cup. I wanted this responsibility," Marsch said. "I love sitting in that coach's box when the stadium's full and the pressure's on and everybody thinks you're an idiot."

The bad news for Canada is that captain Alphonso Davies will not play. The Bayern Munich star has been managing a hamstring injury since Bayern's Champions League semifinal in May, and despite what Marsch described as a positive MRI showing he's "healing incredibly well, almost completely," Davies isn't ready yet. Marsch left the door open for him to feature later in the group stage.

There's better news at center back, where Moïse Bombito is set to play despite breaking his leg in October and managing just 30 minutes in a recent friendly. "He's not fully at 100 percent but he's reached his top speed," Marsch said. "Even if we get him to 90, 95 percent, that's still a pretty damn good player." Twenty year old Luc de Fougerolles is also in the mix at center back. Stephen Eustaquio, who plays for LAFC, will captain the side in Canada's first ever home World Cup match. "It's a dream come true," he said.

Bosnia and Herzegovina arrives as the lowest ranked team in Group B at 64th in the world, having qualified through the playoffs by beating Wales and then upsetting Italy, both on penalties. Forward Ermedin Demirovic embraced the underdog tag without hesitation. "Even if we are underrated or underdogs, we did something that everyone knows who we are," he said. "It's not a problem to be the underdog, to be honest."

Star forward Edin Dzeko, the team's all time leading scorer, has been managing a shoulder injury but took part fully in Thursday's final practice and is expected to be available. Coach Sergej Barbarez struck a confident note despite the rankings gap. "I love this game between David and Goliath, but the world gets to know you after a while," he said.

Off the pitch, soccer's growth in Canada is impossible to miss. A recent report from the charity Jumpstart found the sport has overtaken hockey in youth participation nationwide, and Toronto streets were full of Canada red on Thursday. "These tournaments inspire so many next generation people to find their heroes, play the game," said Christina Linz, president of the Northern Super League.

Kickoff is set for 3pm in Toronto, with Canada looking to turn home field advantage into a breakthrough.

The World Cup's first full day delivered exactly what everyone hoped for: drama, history, and a reminder that this tournament is going to be a wild ride for the next month.

On The Field

South Korea opened with one of the best comeback stories of the tournament so far, rallying from a goal down to beat Czechia 2-1 in Guadalajara. Ladislav Krejčí's header put the Czechs ahead in the 59th minute, but Hwang In-beom equalized in the 67th with a slick move that left two defenders behind, then turned provider eight minutes later for Oh Hyeon-gyu's winner. Coach Hong Myung-bo praised his team's resolve. "What's even more positive is that our boys won by not giving up," he said. It's South Korea's first opening match win since 2010, and they've now beaten a European side in three straight World Cups.

Star forward Son Heung-min, now with LAFC and playing in his fourth World Cup, controlled the game alongside his teammates but couldn't add to his career tally of three World Cup goals. Czechia coach Miroslav Koubek was gracious in defeat. "Probably the better team won," he said, though he felt his side had chances of its own. "It could have been a draw, and we could have won as well."

Elsewhere, injuries continue to shape squads around the tournament. Japan captain Wataru Endo announced he's retiring from international football after failing to recover from an ankle injury, just days before Japan's opener against the Netherlands. "The moment when the Japan national team wins the World Cup will surely come someday," he wrote. Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma and Monaco's Takumi Minamino are also out, leaving Japan thin through the midfield. Borussia Mönchengladbach's Shuto Machino has been called up as a replacement, with Ajax's Ko Itakura now captain.

In Argentina camp, goalkeeper Emiliano "Dibu" Martínez completed his first full two glove training session since fracturing a finger in May, putting him on track to start the World Cup opener against Algeria on June 16. And Lionel Scaloni has added Tottenham's Marcos Senesi to the squad as injury cover on the backline, with the defender set to make his World Cup debut after interrupting his vacation to join up.

Off The Field

It's not just the matches making headlines. Fox's broadcast of the opening match between Mexico and South Africa drew immediate backlash after the network aired commercials during FIFA mandated hydration breaks and then failed to return to live coverage on time, missing action after play had already resumed. Telemundo, by contrast, announced it would skip ads during those breaks entirely in favor of analysis. FIFA had set guidelines for broadcasters using these windows commercially, and Fox appears to have missed the mark on day one.

The betting world is also bracing for an enormous tournament. Estimates suggest more than fifty billion dollars in wagers will be placed globally across the 104 match tournament, a 43 percent jump from 2022, driven by the expanded field and the rapid growth of legal sports betting across the US.

And amid the celebration, there's real human drama behind some of these stories. Haiti striker Duckens Nazon, the country's all time leading scorer, described a harrowing evacuation from Iran, where he plays club football, after the recent conflict there broke out. He credited a last minute eSIM purchase with helping him stay in contact with French officials during a tense border crossing into Azerbaijan. Haiti makes its first World Cup appearance since 1974 against Scotland, and Nazon says the squad is determined to play "with passion and with love" rather than under pressure.

SDH AM is live right now with Jon Nelson, previewing tonight's USMNT and Canada matches with sound from the prematch press conferences and breaking down everything from day one of the tournament. CBS Sports' Chris Whittingham joins the show at 10am for more.

Then catch Jason tonight on Atlanta News First's Overtime at 7:30, previewing the USMNT match.

And from 6 to 8pm, Jason is live from Mazzy's in Duluth on 92.9 The Game and the Audacy app, also previewing tonight's USMNT match. Fans on hand have a shot at winning tickets to a World Cup match here in Atlanta, courtesy of our friends at Michelob ULTRA.

Barred Referee Lands UEFA Super Cup Assignment: Somali referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry to the United States ahead of the World Cup and sent back to Istanbul by border officials, has been selected by UEFA to officiate the Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa on August 12 in Salzburg. UEFA called Artan "one of the world's top referees" and tied the appointment to a recent agreement between UEFA and CAF, the African football confederation.

Milan's Coaching Search Heats Up: According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Oliver Glasner has reached an agreement on a two year contract with AC Milan, though the club is also continuing talks with other candidates including Ruben Amorim and Al Ahli's Matthias Jaissle. Milan owner Gerry Cardinale is reportedly prioritizing a new technical director, with Austria coach Ralf Rangnick as his top target, before finalizing the coaching hire.

Barcola Could Exit PSG: Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola will be allowed to leave the club this summer, according to L'Équipe. The 23 year old has become a backup option behind Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and has seen contract extension talks stall, with Liverpool and Arsenal both reportedly interested.

Saint-Maximin Heads to MLS: Winger Allan Saint-Maximin has agreed to join Charlotte FC as a free agent and is expected to sign a three year contract, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Frenchman spent last season at RC Lens, recording four goals and three assists in 13 appearances.

Tonight's the night. The United States and Canada both step onto the pitch for their World Cup openers, both at home, both carrying the weight of a continent's expectations. SoFi Stadium and BMO Field are about to feel things they've never felt before, and so are we.

Come hang out with us while it happens. SDH AM is live all morning with previews, Jason is at Mazzy's in Duluth from 6 to 8 on 92.9 The Game and the Audacy app with a shot to win World Cup tickets thanks to Michelob ULTRA, and then it's over to Atlanta News First's Overtime at 7:30 for one more lap before kickoff. However or wherever you watch tonight, watch it loud. This is the one we've been waiting for.

🎵 Song of the Day: "We're an American Band" by Grand Funk Railroad: Couldn't think of a better tune for a morning like this. Grand Funk's 1973 hit, recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami, became the band's first single to top the Billboard charts and captures that arena rock spirit of bands on tour, traveling around playing to crowds night after night. Tonight, it's our turn. Live tonight in Los Angeles, the US makes their World Cup debut on home soil, and a sold out crowd packing into SoFi Stadium. We're an American band, alright, and tonight we're playing for the whole world. Crank it up before kickoff.

Jason