Hugo Broos, the South Africa manager, has spoken following his team's loss to Mexico on its home turf yesterday, striking a downbeat tone.

He told the media following Thursday's defeat: "In a tournament, you can't think too far ahead because anything can happen. For us, the objective was the same as it was a week ago: to survive the group stage. That is still possible.

"The start was not good and it wasn't what we expected. We didn't want to lose, but it is what it is. Now we have to try to get points from the next two games and then we'll see where we stand."

South Africa was dealt an early blow on Thursday(Image: Getty Images)

Wataru Endo, the Japanese midfielder who was forced to step back from the country's national team, has announced he will also be stepping back from international football.

Announcing the sad news on X, formerly Twitter, the 33-year-old said he had done "everything he possibly could" following his injury, adding he has "no regrets". Wataru said: "From the moment I got injured up until now, I have done everything I possibly could, so I have no regrets.

“Of course there is frustration at not being able to play in this World Cup, but more than that, I am proud that since the Qatar World Cup I have led this team as captain and that we have grown together into a group that can speak of ‘winning the World Cup’ as a matter of course.

“The team we have now is a truly outstanding one. I believe they will overcome any adversity and show us a view we have never seen before."

Wataru Endo will miss the World Cup through injury

The World Cup is the biggest ever and has the security operation to match.

The Government has spent tens of millions in a bid to ensure the safety of teams and fans. Armed police officers, Secret Service personnel, and local police are patrolling around team hotels, stadia and training facilities. But by far the most popular at the tournament are the 'K9' sniffer dogs.

One dog was seen sniffing around the stands near the Holland training camp in Kansas. He did his job checking for any danger signs before disappearing into the changing room area.

Police officers stand guard(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

Scotland will be the first British team to play in the World Cup this year, with the squad set to face off against Haiti in Foxborough, Boston, on Sunday.

Fans have a special bank holiday to watch the match, which takes place at 2am BST, and some have decided they want to attend in person. They have already been seen bringing the noise to Boston, where they are drinking and cheering in local bars while wearing their national colours.

Former England striker Alan Shearer is concerned over how strict the refereeing may be during the opening days of the World Cup after three red cards were shown in Mexico's 2-0 win over South Africa.

The tournament opener saw Yaya Sithole sent off for bringing down Brian Gutierrez just outside of the box and was followed by team-mate Themba Zwane after a VAR review for appearing to strike Roberto Alvarado in the face during a tangle. Cesar Montes was then dismissed for the hosts in stoppage time.

Speaking on the Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer said: "My slight concern would be is it's like the start of the season when you expect to be really tight on everything and I think that could be the case here, is that for the first 10 days or so, you might see decisions that we're going to be talking about.

"There was a couple of them on the edge, I thought. The first one was definitely a red card and then the other two I think were on the edge. Particularly the one for the slap on the face, I'm not sure where else he could have put his arm."

Alan Shearer has spoken about the red cards handed down during the first World Cup game(Image: Getty Images)

Argentine Mauricio Pochettino is coaching the US team this year, with high hopes that he can improve the country's historically bleak fortunes at the competition.

USMNT take on Paraguay later, and Pochettino said yesterday that he believe sthey should "play like they are a child" at the showdown later. He said: "They need to think tomorrow and play like they are a child -- with [no] pressure, with [no] responsibility.

"Just to play, doing what they need to do and what they know to do."

The USA team is being coached by Argentine Mauricio Pochettino(Image: Getty Images)

While England's first game against Croatia is still five days out, players have far from shrunken from the public eye, with Jude Bellingham offering some introspection ahead of the match next Wednesday.

Bellingham sat down with the Lion's Den to discuss the team's last major compeition, the Euros 2024, saying the team was among "one of two or three teams that could win". Reflecting on the competition, he said: "At the Euros I think we got a few things wrong off the pitch, I don't feel the group connected as well as it could have for a number of reasons.

"When it came to the tournament, we were seen as one of two or three teams that could win it. We weren't playing well, which doesn't help, so even when we were winning, we didn't get the feeling that we were as happy as we should be."

Bellingham has 48 England caps to his name(Image: Getty Images)

According to the latest attendance figures from the South Korea vs Czechia match, the game at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico, was nearly fully attended.

FIFA said the official attendance at the stadium, which is the second smallest of those on offer during the tournament this year, sat at 44,985. The number is just 700 seats short of the total capacity of 45,664.

But the figure doesn't explain why there appeared to be a cast amount of empty space at the venue. A FIFA spokesperson told the New York Times' The Atheltic that they could only "refer to the official attendance", rather than clarify whether the attendance numbers were based on tickets sold or people through the gate.

The Korea vs Czechia game was notably sparsely populated

Bosnia and Herzegovina will help kick off the World Cup from Group B today, with a major first game against Canada on the nation's home turf this evening.

The upcoming game will be eagerly followed by residents of the Balkan nation, but one fan has upped the excitement level by travelling to Canada to watch the game in person. The fan will attend the game this evening after spending $12,000 (£8958) on two World Cup Games.

While yesterday was a celebrated start to the World Cup, with major pop stars participating in the opening ceremony and two eye-popping matches kicking off proceedings, it was images of violence that dominated late-night coverage.

Protesters clash with police in Mexico(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Police were seen clashing with protesters outside the stadium due to ongoing fury from Mexico City residents, who argued officials have focused on the event over urgent social concerns currently plaguing the country.

Protesters were seen throwing Molotov cocktails(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Over 1,000 family members of Mexico's missing people marched toward the stadium yesterday carrying candles and photographs of their missing loved ones.

Protesters were met with massive police opposition(Image: Getty Images)

The match was reportedly continuing while the violence erupted, but concerns were raised about crowd safety at the venue.

Canada, being the second of three countries hosting the cup this year alongside Mexico and the US, will get its own opening ceremony this evening when the tournament comes to Toronto.

Burna Boy and Shakira, two national icons, opened the games for Mexico in Mexico City on Thursday to a huge reception. In Canada, which will have its ceremony at 6.30pm BST in BMO Field ahead of the clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Michael Buble, an icon of similar standing, will be leading the ceremony, and Alessia Cara and Alanis Morisette are set to support him.

Another opening ceremony will take place tonight in Canada as the co-host's get to start their leg of the World Cup.

Organisers will likely be hoping events of yesterday won't repeat themselves, with Mexico's opener against South Africa having descended into chaos. Footage shared on social media shows unrest outside Gate 8 of Estadio Azteca, where protesters were reportedly seen hurling Molotov cocktails.

Canada, co-hosts of the World Cup this year, will kick off Group B at Toronto Stadium this evening in front of what is expected to be a massive home crowd.

They are facing off against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and face massive pressure as, while Jesse Marsch’s team boasts an eight-match unbeaten run, Canada has lost all six of its previous World Cup matches. Both teams will be seeking a victory, however, as they will go on to face Switzerland and Qatar in what are expected to be two tough matches.