Sport Matters

Many football fans around the world, including in South Africa, mistakenly believe that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be hosted solely by the United States. In fact, the tournament will be co-hosted by three North American countries: Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City will host the opening match on Thursday, June 11, 2026. With a capacity of 87,000, it will become the first stadium in World Cup history to host three opening matches, having previously done so in 1970 and 1986. The opening ceremony at Estadio Azteca promises to celebrate Mexico’s rich football heritage while offering a glimpse into the broader cultural legacy of the Americas. Expect the ceremony to showcase elements of Aztec history. The Aztecs, also known as the Mexica—the root of the modern name “Mexico”—were the architects of a sophisticated Mesoamerican civilization centered in what is now central and southern Mexico. Their capital, Tenochtitlan, was founded in 1325, and ...

South Africa’s biggest football clubs, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, find themselves in a rare shared situation this weekend — both are in Lubumbashi, DR Congo, for continental battles. First off the mark are Chiefs, who on Saturday meet AS Simba in the CAF Confederation Cup at the TP Mazembe Stadium. Kick-off is at 3pm SA time. On Sunday, Pirates take on Saint Eloi Lupopo in the CAF Champions League at the 35,000-capacity Stade Frédéric Kibassa Maliba. While Lupopo are based in Lubumbashi — the DRC’s second-largest city after Kinshasa — Simba hail from Kolwezi, about 300km northwest of Lubumbashi. They have been forced to stage their CAF home fixtures in Katanga’s capital because their home province, Lualaba, lacks a CAF-approved stadium. Simba booked their spot in the 2025–26 CAF Confederation Cup by winning the Coupe du Congo, the national cup competition, defeating MK Kinshasa 1–0 in the final. Jacques Mangoba netted the decisive goal in the 90th minute, sealing both the t...