r/worldcup Jun 11 '26

📰News 🚨🚨 IT’S ON: THE AZTECA STADIUM 🇲🇽 HAS OPENED ITS GATES FOR THE 2026 WORLD CUP OPENING MATCH !!!! 🏟️🤩 More than 80,000 spectators are expected tonight for this Mexico 🇲🇽 - 🇿🇦 South Africa match.

6.6k Upvotes

442 comments sorted by

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47

u/Major9000 Jun 11 '26

I’m happy for Mexico, that they get the first game! 🇨🇦 🇲🇽

13

u/ah_itsall_good Jun 11 '26

Fr everyone kinda loving Mexico and for US exact opposite 🤣

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26

u/SnooMemesjellies2323 England Jun 11 '26

Let’s go Mexicooooo

9

u/ah_itsall_good Jun 11 '26

Let’s goo 🇲🇽

18

u/FilletOFishForMyVife England Jun 11 '26

As usual, Mexico have got an absolutely beautiful kit. I’m very jealous.

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17

u/Necessary_Drummer692 USA Jun 11 '26

A rematch of the 2010 opener let’s go!!!!!!

15

u/Dipankar94 Jun 12 '26

What a opener!!! 3 red card in the first match! haha. Looking forward to future matches.

29

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/lukenog Portugal Jun 14 '26

That's the biggest missed opportunity of this World Cup in my opinion. Literally one of the most iconic stadiums in the history of the sport and they had a chance to pay homage to one of the most iconic finals of the sport and they chose not to. I get it, a final in the States is a lot more lucrative, but still... c'mon it's the fucking Azteca!!

13

u/Low-Rooster5398 Jun 11 '26

Vamos México

5

u/ah_itsall_good Jun 11 '26

Vamos 🇲🇽

12

u/Mythicalforests8 Spain Jun 11 '26

Let’s play football

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11

u/Heavy-Ad-9186 Jun 11 '26

27 - 3 to South Africa. Rassie has their number.

5

u/Johnny_Banana18 Jun 11 '26

Bomb Squad strikes again 

3

u/coffeeislife_SA South Africa Jun 11 '26

I actually laughed at this.

2

u/Cyber-Soldier1 Jun 11 '26

Springboks fans assemble

12

u/Particular-Way-3805 Jun 11 '26

I’m excited for this

20

u/Malt129 Jun 11 '26

The opening started off really nice but quickly generated into a pointless pop concert. It's not even a ceremony at this point.

6

u/Blueberrycake_ Jun 11 '26

Definitely the first quarter of the ceremony started off okay and then just went downhill from there

8

u/IlikeGeekyHistoryRSA South Africa Jun 11 '26

Come on Bafana, make us proud!

9

u/Lower_Condition_196 Jun 11 '26

The reverse of 2010 it’s now Mexico hosting South Africa

4

u/antrage Jun 11 '26

Its really strange has that happened ever before the the first game of the world cup between the two teams in reverse countries??

2

u/Mazethi Jun 11 '26

As a South African, I'm hoping for a draw at least 🥺, exact same score as that 2010 match 🤞🏾

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8

u/Sad-Commercial1795 World Cup Jun 11 '26

It’s gonna be so nuts there. Happy for them.

8

u/jrb9990 Jun 11 '26

nah man, that’s just the line for lonche

14

u/Hecate_LibertyElle Jun 11 '26

The atmosphere is electric🤩

3

u/El_Gran_Che Jun 11 '26

Lets go!!!

14

u/Blitz7798 England Jun 11 '26

the only thing I ask is that South Africa score the opener and do the dance again

10

u/Own_Acanthocephala0 Jun 11 '26

GOAL BAFANA BAFANA

8

u/Gallastic Mexico Jun 11 '26

Vamos, carajoooooooooo!

8

u/CapitalStrict6253 Jun 11 '26

Hope their tickets don’t cost $8k

6

u/Little-Woo Jun 11 '26

Last time I checked they were around $3200

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6

u/mehdih34 Jun 12 '26

People do have money. I thought the stadiums will not be full given the insane ticket price.

6

u/Radiant-Being-6635 Jun 12 '26

It's probably cheaper in Mexico than the US.

12

u/FaithlessnessSuch632 Jun 12 '26

Noo tickets in Mexico (ie Mexico games) were some of the most expensive group phase tickets

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23

u/avidfan1976 Jun 11 '26

Final should have been there

6

u/woahoutrageous_ England Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26

Absolutely gorgeous stadium, easily top 5 of all time.

2

u/Wonderful_Fox_7959 Jun 11 '26

Do you think the 2030 final should be in Montevideo?

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5

u/CrazyCockroachLady Jun 11 '26

This gives me flashbacks; Estadio Azteca was the most claustrophobic and poorly managed stadium entry process I’ve ever had to live through…

5

u/MannersMatters21 Jun 11 '26

How long was it?? I turned on my tv now and it’s not on

3

u/No-Revolution-3159 England Jun 11 '26

Like 10 mins or so

2

u/MannersMatters21 Jun 11 '26

That’s very short for an opening ceremony wtf

6

u/jaykhunter Jun 11 '26

Calm down everyone jeez. Really depressing huddle, I couldn't see one person energetic or cheering!

10

u/random24 Canada Jun 11 '26

I always cheer and try to draw attention to myself while going through a security gate. It’s so fun and exciting!

2

u/jaykhunter Jun 11 '26

🇺🇸 USA! 🦅 USA! 🙌 USA! 🙏 USA! 🔫

Wait, it's Mexico?? MEX-I-CO! 🌮 MEX-I-CO! 🇲🇽

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6

u/bonko86 Jun 11 '26

Imhotep... Imhotep...

8

u/-bubbleObill Jun 14 '26 edited Jun 14 '26

I'm not even Mexican bro and I want their team kit, fucking baller

14

u/ah_itsall_good Jun 11 '26

You are already in world cup sub what you expect bro

8

u/linocent167 Jun 11 '26

Who you talking to? 😂

3

u/LeaguePublic Jun 11 '26

Like most of us - to imaginary people. None of you or even this actually exists

18

u/m0viestar Jun 11 '26

80,000? Reddit has been telling me no one is going to the games because it's too expensive.

7

u/heartb1reaker Jun 11 '26

Real life and online really not the same lol

4

u/TatonkaJack USA Jun 11 '26

this game is in mexico. that applies only to US games obv /s

3

u/6ftToeSuckedPrincess Jun 11 '26

What drives me crazy is there are a lot of Americans that are basically acting like nobody in America gives a shit about this and it's not a big deal and the uptick in guests in their city won't be anything they aren't used to, like it's just another mid season baseball game and not the world cup. lol There is so much weird arrogance when it comes to "not caring about soccer" and "we have our own sports and they actually score more than once per game"

4

u/tripletdad0603 USA Jun 11 '26

Auburn University hosted the Argentina-Iceland friendly this week, 88,000 attendees on a weeknight. In Alabama, in SEC country, in the heart of Deep South football. I am also tired of folks saying nobody cares about soccer!

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3

u/anotherdamnaccount Jun 11 '26

I’m predicting 2-0 Mexico

2

u/Superb_Bat_3998 Jun 11 '26

Damn seems ur prediction was right. Guess I predicted the red cards lmaooo

5

u/No_Mastodon_2857 Jun 11 '26

This is going to be an amazing Game!

6

u/Fantasyfreyaa Jun 15 '26

I am from the future, mexico won

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13

u/Shaenyra Jun 14 '26

This world cup should have taken place only in Mexico.

The only country in the world, that when it says "football" is for something else than the rest of the world does, a country that has zero connection or culture around football, a country that has non stop been engaging in wars SHOULD HAVE NOT BE GIVEN THE WORLD CUP. This is USA I am talking about, in case it wasn't already very obvious

3

u/animadweller Jun 15 '26

I'm from Mexico and trust me, it's better this way. We simplyd don't have the economy for such an event on that scale. It's a rough time

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2

u/Restoretheroof 26d ago

Cry just a bit harder. The US has done a great job hosting and supporting the fans and teams.

Didn’t Mexico just have a war with the cartel? Or is that an on going thing?

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2

u/Luckyshot51 21d ago

Australia and a few others also call it soccer, U.S. got the term from England

3

u/Anwawesome Morocco Jun 17 '26

The World Cup has been great in the US, especially in the city I’m in, Seattle. Quit whining.

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17

u/lifewithawadh Jun 12 '26

Should have hosted the world cup rather than 🇺🇸

3

u/TheDesktopNinja USA Jun 13 '26

They are hosting it. 3 countries are hosting it. Next time in 2030, it will be even more. The expense of the event has gotten to such a ridiculous point that no single country, never mind a single *city*, is willing or able to host it.

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2

u/Geaux2020 USA Jun 13 '26

That would cripple their economy. We are splitting it for the benefit of everyone

2

u/SeaworthinessOk4122 Jun 14 '26

They are hosting it......

8

u/cybin Jun 11 '26

Have fun "tonight" when the match is already finished! :D

5

u/sp10127 Jun 11 '26

Hell yeah!!!

3

u/handsomechuck Jun 11 '26

Hope the whole event goes off safely, and may the best team win.

4

u/Prudent-Put8314 Jun 11 '26

wow 80,000 fans.

4

u/Biruzar Jun 11 '26

Nice stadium Mexico 👍

4

u/Nice_Emergency5048 Jun 17 '26

The Mexico stadiums are spectacular. Really enjoying this WC. I can see the Round of 32 having some Final 4 type matchups.

12

u/NimbleZazo Jun 11 '26

so you mean gathering of 80,000 RICH spectators?

28

u/OlympicAnalEater Jun 11 '26

People would rather go to Mexico and Canada than the USA.

Let's see if the games in the US stadiums can match that 80k fans?

7

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/TheRadioFrontiers Belgium Jun 12 '26

It looked impressive, a shame they didn’t book the final there! What’s the last match in that stadium, QF?

6

u/davidio840 Jun 12 '26

You vastly underestimate what you’re about to witness. I’m guessing you aren’t in a hosting city?

7

u/mostlysewconfused Jun 12 '26

A friendly in Auburn, AL on Tuesday drew 88K. Does that count?

2

u/OlympicAnalEater Jun 12 '26

Not official game though and tickets are cheap like <$150 for a decent seat.

4

u/Atlfan227 USA Jun 12 '26

Well, none of them can hold 80 so ya, not happening

3

u/RazzleDazzle3469 Jun 12 '26

Dallas Stadium is 94k, MetLife is 82k

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8

u/coljung Jun 11 '26

I'm curious about the bag and water policy... i'll be there next Wednesday 😉

7

u/Waste-Product2669 Jun 11 '26

Neutral England fan supporting Mexico!

2

u/themmbones Jun 11 '26

Does that make you NOT neutral though? 😂

3

u/Waste-Product2669 Jun 11 '26

Well, I’m neutral in the sense that I’m from neither Mexico nor South Africa

2

u/CheeseDonutCat Jun 11 '26

I'm neutral in the sense that I'm not acidic or basic.

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7

u/Davey_McDaveface Jun 11 '26

Should be hosting the final, the atmosphere tonight will be incredible

5

u/kingfridaythexiii Jun 11 '26

Agree. Too many US games and not enough CAN and MEX games

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14

u/Acsteffy Netherlands Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26

"Tonight"

Guys, the game is at 3pm edt...

That's 1PM local time.

Edit:
"More than 80,000 spectators are expected tonight"

They are talking about attendance at the game. For the attendees it wont be night.

2

u/michiness Jun 11 '26

Made me double-check, I’m planning on heading to a brewery for it and would feel silly if it were the wrong game

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6

u/DotPlastic9317 Jun 11 '26

I can't wait for this world cup 

8

u/Low-Car-6331 Jun 11 '26

The riot following the match will be interesting.

5

u/diecorporations Jun 11 '26

Go Mexico !!

7

u/CrustyHumdinger Jun 11 '26

Don't get used to seeing full grounds

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3

u/pwendle Jun 11 '26

START ALREADY

3

u/_chainsodomy_ Jun 11 '26

Viva Mexico!

3

u/Black_Coffee9 Jun 11 '26

Has the show started?

3

u/AtomicGarden-8964 USA Jun 11 '26

I'm mainly excited to see MetLife on Sunday mainly because as a daily rider to New Jersey Transit I want to see if they do a better job transporting the World cup attendees than they do the daily commuters like myself

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3

u/justleave-mealone Jun 11 '26

anyone watching in NYC? I found somewhere to watch but the vibe is deeeeeeaaadd. Lmao like i did not expect the vibe to be this bad.

Does anyone have another bar that has a better vibe? in brooklyn but wouldn’t mind another borough.

6

u/Ok-Background-502 Jun 11 '26

People are hungover from last night's Knicks game

5

u/Rody2k6 Jun 11 '26

FIFA chose a country that doesn’t care about football

4

u/The_GrooGruxKing USA Jun 11 '26

Bro that Knicks game knocked everyone out last night

2

u/6ftToeSuckedPrincess Jun 11 '26

Isn't central park setting up a free public watch?

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2

u/FancyPantsRants1 Jun 11 '26

Expansion made most of the group matchups boring, itll be better for the knockout stage but Mexico - SA in the middle of a thursday isnt going to bring out the masses

3

u/Gruity Jun 11 '26

That's a lot of people! Let's go...

3

u/TwoWarm700 Jun 11 '26

Excitement loading 😎

13

u/Fellattio_Nelson Jun 11 '26

Proper fans. This World Cup should be held solely in Mexico.

A three country WC? Jog on.

2

u/PatataMaxtex Jun 11 '26

Three countries can be fine if it is because they are too small to host it on their own. Denmark, Norway, Sweden could be nice for example. But the US alone is so big, that you have to plan around the distances.

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12

u/Confident_Leg2370 Jun 11 '26

This opening is gash, absolute shite so far, they are all miming

5

u/No-Revolution-3159 England Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26

Yeah I’m sorry but it was terrible, so cheesy and dated, and low budget.

4

u/Blueberrycake_ Jun 11 '26

Opening ceremony is lacking that something compared to previous ones

3

u/MannersMatters21 Jun 11 '26

Is it still on?? I turned on my tv now to watch and it’s not on just match buildup

2

u/Pzjg_ Jun 11 '26

Nah finished bro

2

u/new_killer_amerika Jun 11 '26

And covering other people's songs

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7

u/justleave-mealone Jun 11 '26

sponsored hydration break, with commercials? games gone.

4

u/tedstriker2015 Jun 11 '26

Absolute American rubbish. This could actually kill the game.

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4

u/Cautious-Process-198 Jun 14 '26

TiCkEts sAlEs ArE tOo loW

6

u/ah_itsall_good Jun 14 '26

Cause maybe the prices are too high

2

u/Casual-Netizen Jun 15 '26

Price Gouging ❌

Variable Pricing 🤓 Revolutionary rebranding

7

u/Historical-Horror958 Colombia Jun 11 '26

I wonder what people did to afford those ticket prices. I don’t think there is only the elite and professionals in that crowd

22

u/Acceptable_Ad_6278 Jun 11 '26

many people in a city as big as cdmx are capable to spend $1000-$2000 for a ticket. Whether they can afford it or it's a smart purchase is a different question. There's also case of families pitching in to pay the ticket for their grandpa etc.

8

u/aandres44 Jun 11 '26

They worked probably? The tickets are expensive but many people have money in the country

8

u/Waste-Hearing-8524 Jun 11 '26

well you literally have 4 years to save money? even more if you know where the world cup is going to be..

2

u/Historical-Horror958 Colombia Jun 11 '26

Agree. But i don’t think people thought that prices would be this high. At least I thought that when I heard that Ticketmaster won’t be involve with the tickets. Boy I was wrong 🤦🏽‍♂️

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6

u/Fuckthegopers Jun 11 '26

Nothing like hearing the home crowd boo the away team whenever they have possession the entire game!

2

u/btetsuyama Jun 12 '26

Pretty mediocre atmosphere the whole game

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9

u/Rock-Coat Jun 11 '26

The whole tournament should be held in Mexico and Canada only

4

u/LeaguePublic Jun 11 '26

Yeah at least the referees will arrive for the tournament

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2

u/Dmoneybohnet Spain Jun 11 '26

Lit! Viva El Tri!

2

u/PublicSell4047 Mexico Jun 11 '26

Couldn't call out today, trying to figure out how to watch the game 😞

2

u/xc2215x Jun 11 '26

A nice crowd to see.

2

u/Antarcticainme Jun 11 '26

Where are y’all watching from?

4

u/poporuttiPalumbo Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26

I am pretty sure that the world cup is basically free to watch in every country

Edit: i really dont understand why i got down voted lol, national team matches of like most countries are 100% free, same goes for: Euros, Nations League, International Friendlies, Afcon,....

2

u/Skullcrimp Jun 11 '26

Free to watch in every country sounds about right.

I wonder how much the americans are being charged to watch it 😂 of course that'll be nothing new to them... they're used to paying for stuff normal countries get for free

2

u/poporuttiPalumbo Jun 11 '26

After seeing those ticket prices, I don't want to know how much they are going to pay lol

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2

u/No-Advance2202 Jun 11 '26

here we go!

2

u/Hazmanjoe Jun 11 '26

There we land

2

u/wowitshemlock France Jun 12 '26

That’s a very organized line of people lol truly amazed

5

u/SplitSecondImmortal Jun 11 '26

Let's go South Africa! Hope its a good game

2

u/ah_itsall_good Jun 11 '26

Yeah hope game feels competitive

8

u/GullibleExchange4554 Jun 11 '26

A country that is hosting the tournament 100x better

5

u/Vgordvv Jun 11 '26

So many salty people in the comments about ticket prices. I got 2 sets of tickets for 370 CAN a piece. It's not great but it's not thousands of dollars.

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13

u/I_spread_love_butter Argentina Jun 11 '26

They should've done it in Mexico only

11

u/SplitSecondImmortal Jun 11 '26

The logistics would be crazy considering its a 48 team tournament. I think single country hosts will be a thing of the post going forward

7

u/bengenj USA Jun 11 '26

I don’t think Mexico has enough stadiums to host alone given the expansion of the tournament. They only have 7 stadiums that meet FIFA requirements for capacity (40k+). 8 if you count a bullfighting ring that might be long enough to fit a pitch.

5

u/Super_mando1130 Jun 11 '26

People can shit on the USA all day but there are very few parts of the world that have a functioning Stadium capacity that USA does (mainly in part to NCAA). I’ve always wondered why larger events (WC/Olympics/etc) do not cycle through a couple of countries with the infrastructure already in place

3

u/ConcentrateFar7753 Jun 11 '26

Any country with a decent football championship have the necessary stadium for a tournament.

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9

u/ah_itsall_good Jun 11 '26

Fr Mexico seems vibrant and US seems dead while it doesn’t feel like Canada part of host 😂😂

2

u/Feliz_Desdichado Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26

Canada are fine, the US is being a disgraceful host though.

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2

u/NerdButtons Jun 11 '26

May we all hope & pray to never hear that wack ass DNA song ever again 🙏

4

u/TH3D4RKN16T Jun 11 '26

Bro that shit was good what you mean ? Haters everywhere.

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5

u/[deleted] Jun 11 '26

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13

u/leytonstoneb Jun 11 '26

USA is never winning lmao

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3

u/Purple-Cress-2264 Brazil Jun 11 '26

Arriba Mexico! Chavo del ocho major que Mandela!!!!1

2

u/FollowTheLeads Jun 11 '26

I want to know the ticket prices for this game

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3

u/Nonetoobrightatall Jun 13 '26

UMSNT supporter. 100% rooting for Mexico. I guess Canada too…

6

u/TreeMysterious69420 USA Jun 11 '26

If Mexico loses that crowd is going to get ugly fucking fast

2

u/dksourabh Spain Jun 11 '26

So many rich people

6

u/antrage Jun 11 '26

Mexican economic inequality is crazy you can go from an impoverished neighborhood to a gated multi millionaire community in minutes

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2

u/James---Trickington Jun 11 '26

This game is in Mexico but I see your point for the other games

2

u/dksourabh Spain Jun 11 '26

Are the tickets cheaper there ?

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1

u/GreatBigHomie Jun 11 '26

Rich people, or people who know how to budget their finances and put money aside for the things they truly want?

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5

u/ConcentrateFar7753 Jun 11 '26

What a nice time when one of the organizer promised today to attack and invade one of the participants.

3

u/themmbones Jun 11 '26

Yes, let's pause geopolitical conflicts for a month because there's football on the TV.

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3

u/DonLovesNature Jun 11 '26

Just America things...

4

u/El_Gran_Che Jun 11 '26

fascist things

2

u/manolosandmartinis44 Jun 13 '26

I think your comment is redundant to the one you're responding to?

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1

u/davidio840 Jun 12 '26

The real question is, are we going to see ghetto fights like we are seeing in NY during the NBA finals? Or are these fans more civil? History says no, but we will see.

4

u/ResidentDue2815 England Jun 12 '26

Why is that the real question, it's football there will probably be some fights I'm sure.

2

u/bullhits Jun 12 '26

It's part of the sport. What are you whining about?

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3

u/skynet345 USA Jun 11 '26

But but Reddit told me no one could afford tickets and it would a complete flop with empty stands?

24

u/kiwiboy22 Jun 11 '26

bro it's Mexico playing the opening of a world cup in Mexico which they haven't hosted since 1986!

15

u/Blunder03 Jun 11 '26

It's Mexico, in Mexico...

15

u/randybiuk Jun 11 '26

Show me where reddit said that about the opening match, featuring mexico, in mexico and i will force both your friends to upvote your wank comment

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3

u/Farzy78 Jun 12 '26

Reddit told me no one is watching this world cup

2

u/Logical-Track1405 Jun 11 '26

That entrance organisation is asking for trouble tbh 🫣

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