标签： South America

In the lead-up to their highly anticipated Group K World Cup fixtures, Colombia’s national men’s football team has officially launched the final phase of their competitive preparations on Mexican soil, following a multi-phase training schedule spanning two countries.

The squad touched down in the western Mexican city of Guadalajara on Wednesday, and wasted no time getting to work: their first on-site training session took place Thursday, with the session opened to allow members of the local press and Guadalajara football fans to observe the team’s first workout in their new base camp.

Currently ranked 14th in the official FIFA global rankings, Colombia built up their fitness and tactical coordination in stages ahead of this final camp. The team began preliminary preparations at training facilities within their home nation, before moving to a second training block in California, United States, to acclimate to different playing conditions before traveling south to Mexico.

Colombia’s three Group K matches will take place across three different North American venues. Their opening group stage fixture is scheduled for next Wednesday in Mexico’s capital, Mexico City, where they will face off against Uzbekistan. They will return to Guadalajara for their second group match against Congo on June 23, before wrapping up group play against Portugal on June 27 in Miami, Florida.

Organizers and the Colombian coaching staff have already flagged a key environmental challenge the team will face in their first two matches: the high altitude of both Guadalajara and Mexico City, which can impact player endurance and breathing over the course of 90 minutes of competitive play.

For Colombia, this World Cup marks a chance to return to the global football stage after a disappointing cycle four years ago. The South American nation posted its best-ever World Cup result in 2014, hosted by neighboring Brazil, when the squad advanced all the way to the tournament quarterfinals before being eliminated. Four years later in Russia, the team exited the competition in the round of 16, and failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar, leaving them hungry to prove their skill on the global stage once again.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup kicked off on a high note for host nation Mexico, as El Tri secured a convincing 2-0 victory against South Africa in their opening group-stage match, sparking chaotic, joyous celebrations across the country. Moments after the final whistle blew, thousands of passionate Mexican supporters poured out of bars, living rooms and public viewing venues onto city streets across the nation, waving the iconic green, white and red national flag, blowing horns, singing traditional chants and embracing one another in shared excitement. The opening win marks a strong starting point for Mexico’s World Cup campaign, giving the team and its fanbase a massive boost of momentum heading into their next group-stage matchup. For host nation supporters, the opening victory turned a already historic tournament moment into an unforgettable nationwide celebration, with social media and public spaces flooded with messages of excitement and pride in the team’s performance.

IRVINE, Calif. — As the United States prepares to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup and kicks off its tournament campaign against Paraguay this Friday, Christian Pulisic finds himself in a rare, pressure-filled position: he is the undisputed generational star of the host nation’s men’s national team, carrying the expectations of an entire soccer-crazed country on his shoulders.

Pulisic joins an exclusive, shortlist of elite global talents who have landed this exact confluence of skill, stardom, and timing when their home country hosts soccer’s biggest tournament. Past names on that list read like a who’s who of modern soccer royalty: Zinedine Zidane, who led France to a 1998 World Cup title on home soil; Michael Ballack, who anchored host Germany’s 2006 squad; and Neymar, who carried Brazil’s hopes as the home nation in 2014.

Pulisic’s teammates and coaching staff are acutely aware of the massive burden he carries. For nearly a decade, he has been framed as the face of American men’s soccer, the groundbreaking talent that turned a historically middling soccer nation into a growing competitor on the global stage. Teammates across the roster openly acknowledge that all eyes — from the pitch to the sold-out stands — will remain fixed on Pulisic, with fans and peers alike hoping his decade of proven success at top European clubs will lift the U.S. to unprecedented heights on home soil.

“I can’t even imagine the weight that’s on his shoulders,” said 27-year-old Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams, Pulisic’s long-time midfield partner. “From such a young age, he was the hope of American soccer.”

Now 27, Pulisic refuses to shrink from the bright spotlight that will burn brighter than ever across the tournament’s coming weeks. In comments Thursday at the U.S. national team’s Orange County training base, he reaffirmed that this high-stakes moment is exactly what he has spent his entire career working toward.

Unlike his early years in the national program, when he was the lone elite talent carrying the team’s aspirations, Pulisic says he feels no extra pressure heading into the World Cup. In fact, he argues the weight on his shoulders may even be lighter than it has been in years past, thanks to the depth of talent that has emerged around him in recent seasons.

“I don’t feel a difference in weight. I’m not sure. Maybe less,” Pulisic said. “I just feel like there’s so many good players around me. I genuinely don’t feel like I have to do anything on my own. I’m going to give it the best I can. I want to help the team, and they expect a lot out of me, but with the guys I have around me, it makes it a lot easier for me.”

Pulisic’s status as the center of U.S. World Cup hopes dates back longer than this tournament cycle. When the World Cup was first awarded to the North American bloc of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico eight years ago, Pulisic was already the rising star of American soccer. A native of Hershey, Pennsylvania, he broke into the senior national team as a 17-year-old prodigy, becoming the first homegrown U.S. talent to earn consistent playing time and stardom at Europe’s top clubs.

Over the past 10 years, he has built a resume unrivaled by any active American player: after cutting his teeth at Borussia Dortmund, he transferred to Chelsea in 2019, where he became just the second American to win the UEFA Champions League in 2021. He moved to Serie A’s AC Milan in 2023, where he remains a key contributor for one of Europe’s top clubs. While the U.S. national program has struggled for consistent progress through his career, and Pulisic even endured an 18-month goal drought with the national team that only ended in late May, he still stands as the Americans’ most consistently dynamic playmaker.

Adams, who has shared the pitch with Pulisic since the winger’s 2016 senior debut, recalled watching the teenage prospect immediately become the team’s most irreplaceable player. Even after that 2016 campaign ended in devastating failure — the U.S. failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup — Pulisic quickly emerged as the foundation of the program’s rebuild.

“(Pulisic was) the best player on the field at 17 years old, and the person that they rely on, (and) it’s been since then that they’ve relied on him,” Adams said. “Now, we have weapons around him to kind of relieve that, but he’s a star. Not just for the U.S. national team, but in world football. He’s that good. We rely on him in big moments, but that being said, I hope he doesn’t feel the pressure to carry it all. Just to be himself and grow into each game.”

Pulisic made his first World Cup appearance in Qatar four years ago, where he notched one goal and one assist as the U.S. exited in the knockout round after scoring just three total goals across four matches. This time around, he says the home-field advantage brings a unique sense of comfort, with family and fans able to cheer the team on close to home.

“It feels similar, but with a bit of that comfort of being in America,” Pulisic said. “It feels great having the people you love around you. It makes it that much more special.”

New U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who took over the program in late 2024, has worked to build an aggressive, attack-minded squad centered around Pulisic’s creative strengths, while intentionally spreading responsibility across the roster to reduce reliance on the star. Two prolific Europe-based strikers, Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi, will make their World Cup debuts this tournament, with the expectation that they will share the scoring load that once fell entirely to Pulisic.

Pochettino emphasized that while Pulisic will play a critical role for the U.S., the team’s collective culture and identity matters more than any individual star.

“Of course he needs to be an important player for us in the competition,” Pochettino said. “(But) I think what we’ve learned after a year and a half is that the badge of the national team and the culture with this country is more important than any name, any player or any coach. That is a principal thing that we (believe), and from there, if you have talent and quality, you can perform on that platform.”

Still, with his first World Cup knockout round exit behind him, Pulisic understands the U.S. needs to hit the ground running on home soil, starting with Friday’s opener against a tough Paraguay side. For the veteran star, past tournament experience has helped calm his nerves, even as the spotlight grows larger than ever.

“It has that big-game feel, for sure,” Pulisic said. “But in some ways, I feel a little bit more relaxed because I’ve been there before. We’ve played in a match like this. I think the experience has calmed me down a little bit.”

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off its opening match for the Mexican national team at the iconic Azteca Stadium, thousands of elated supporters filled the streets surrounding the venue, describing the electric atmosphere as a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience they would never forget. The BBC caught up with dozens of ticket-holding fans moments after the final whistle, where Mexico secured a dominant 2-0 victory over South Africa to launch their tournament campaign on a high note.

Supporters clad in the team’s signature green, white, and red jerseys packed the plazas and sidewalks outside the stadium, waving flags, singing traditional chants, and embracing one another in celebration. Many fans traveled hundreds of miles from across Mexico to attend the opening match, with some telling reporters they had saved for years to secure their spot at the legendary venue, which has hosted two World Cup finals in its history.

Azteca Stadium, one of the most recognizable soccer stadiums in the world, provided a dramatic backdrop for the opening clash. From the opening kickoff, the crowd roared nonstop, creating a wall of noise that pushed Mexico’s players to secure the two-goal advantage. Even after the match ended, fans lingered outside the stadium to share their joy with friends, family, and reporters, emphasizing that the combination of hosting a World Cup match at Azteca and opening with a win made the moment unforgettable.

For Mexican soccer, this opening victory marks a promising start to what fans hope will be a deep tournament run. The energy outside the stadium reflected the widespread optimism across the country, as supporters turn their attention to the nation’s next group stage match, with hopes of continuing their winning momentum.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, the first 48-team edition of global football’s flagship tournament, officially launched on Thursday at Mexico City’s iconic Azteca Stadium, marking four decades since the nation last hosted the competition’s opening match. Against a backdrop of months of preparation challenges—from large-scale infrastructure renovations at the city’s airport and the historic Azteca venue, to widespread public protests and ongoing concerns about regional cartel violence—football fans and organizers set aside pre-tournament tensions to celebrate the start of the month-long competition.

Thousands of cheering supporters packed into the 100-year-old stadium, many decked head-to-toe in Mexico’s signature green, white and red team colors, brimming with anticipation for the first match of the tournament between co-host Mexico and South Africa. For first-time World Cup attendee Javier Pérez, who traveled to the capital with his entire family to secure coveted hospitality tickets, the energy inside the stadium overshadowed every logistical headache and pre-event worry that marked the months leading up to kickoff.

“It’s a unique experience. I have never been to a World Cup before so to bring my family is wonderful,” Pérez told reporters ahead of the ceremony. “I just want Mexico to get off on the right foot, win today and score a load of goals! And then we’ll see how far we can go!”

The opening celebration drew a lineup of global music superstars that blended Latin culture with global hitmakers, headlined by Colombian global icon Shakira. She was joined on the Azteca stage by fellow Colombian star J Balvin, Nigerian Afrobeats pioneer Burna Boy, Venezuelan Latin hitmaker Danny Ocean, and iconic Mexican rock frontman Fher Olvera. In a nod to the opening match’s teams, Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández—son of legendary Mexican crooner Vicente Fernández—delivered a stirring performance of Mexico’s national anthem, while Grammy-winning South African breakout star Tyla performed her country’s anthem before taking the field.

Tyla, who already holds a World Cup credit for her 2026 official tournament track “Game Time,” will reprise her performance role on Friday for the U.S. opening ceremony in Los Angeles, where she will share the stage with pop star Katy Perry, rapper Future, Blackpink’s Lisa, and Brazilian pop icon Anitta. Canada will also hold its own opening celebration Friday for matches hosted on its territory, as the 2026 tournament is split across the three North American co-hosts.

The Azteca ceremony leaned heavily into Mexico’s rich indigenous heritage, with dozens of performers wearing traditional handcrafted indigenous garments, while other dance troupes wore all-gold regalia and carried oversized golden footballs across the pitch. When the 90-minute celebration drew to a close and the opening match kicked off, thousands of elated fans tossed their traditional Mexican sombreros into the air, embracing the once-in-a-generation moment of hosting world football’s biggest event on home soil after 40 years of waiting.