The extravaganza hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada is the biggest World Cup in history, stretching until the final in New Jersey on July 19 and is projected to generate a record-breaking $13 billion in total revenue.
The official opening ceremony lit up the Estadio Azteca stadium before kickoff with Colombian superstar Shakira and Nigerian singer Burna Boy delighting the crowd with a performance of “Dai Dai”, the official song of the tournament.
But there were scuffles outside the stadium as fans pushed and shoved as they tried to get into the official fan zone in the centre of Mexico City.
The start of the action on the pitch will likely come as a welcome relief to football’s world governing body FIFA, which has faced stinging criticism over the eye-watering costs of tickets.
