The National flag of the United States of America was met with boos and jeers before the opening game of the World Cup 2026 in Mexico City.
Ahead of the big kick-off between Mexico and South Africa, the flags of all 48 teams participating in the tournament were paraded onto the pitch.
The flags of the three North American co-hosts—the United States, Canada and Mexico, were the final to be taken to the pitch.
There was a marked change in atmosphere, however, when the United States were introduced and their flag was displayed on the stadium’s big screen.
From jubilant roars, the noise of the crowd shifted, with loud boos audible as the flag of the United States was brought forward.
Further cheers were heard as the attention quickly turned to Mexico flag, ahead of the start of the co-host’s match at the iconic Azteca Stadium.
United States will host 78 of the 104 games during this World Cup, three times more than Mexico and Canada combined.
The build-up to the 48-team tournament has been marked with several controversies, most of which involve the United States and president Donald Trump.
The United States notably launched strikes against Iran, one of the participating teams, in February.
Also, there were louder boos for Fifa president Gianni Infantino when he was first shown on the big screen during the match.
