At 8pm on Thursday, the 2026 World Cup begins at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City – and Chris Sutton, making his predictions for BBC Sport, is already at the stadium. “I cannot wait,” he said, but the BBC football expert is not expecting much from the co-hosts. “They don’t have many players from Europe’s top five leagues and it feels like they are a bit mediocre going forward,” Sutton wrote. The onus falls on Raul Jimenez, who at 35 “is not the player he was” after rejoining Wolves from Fulham. South Africa, with Burnley forward Lyle Foster their only player from the Premier League or Championship, will rely on a tight defence. Sutton predicts a close game but says Mexico’s home advantage gives them the edge. The match is live on ITV1 from 6.15pm, with radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Friday’s early hours bring the second Group A fixture: South Korea against the Czech Republic at the Estadio Guadalajara, kicking off at 3am UK time (live on ITV from 2.30am). Sutton predicts a draw. South Korea’s captain Son Heung-min is at his fourth World Cup, and Sutton also highlights Paris St-Germain’s Lee Kang-in. The Czech Republic are “pragmatic” and “resilient”, he says. In his pre-tournament picks, Sutton has South Korea to win the group, with Mexico runners-up, Czech Republic third and South Africa fourth. Later on Friday, co-hosts Canada face Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto. Edin Dzeko, 40, still leads Bosnia’s line, while Canada, under Jesse Marsch, will “play with high intensity and press the ball”, Sutton notes. Defender Alistair Johnston, who he watched at Celtic, returns from a hamstring injury. The AI predictor, using Microsoft Copilot Chat, is also making forecasts after winning last season’s BBC Premier League Predictions League. Fans can challenge both human and machine via a new BBC predictor game. With four groups opening across two days, the first shocks of the tournament may already be brewing.
“Chris Sutton predicts Mexico to edge South Africa in the World Cup opener but warns the co-hosts lack firepower.”