Mexico opened the World Cup on Thursday with a dominant 2-0 win over South Africa in front of a boisterous home crowd at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium.

With a capacity crowd of 80,824 watching at the iconic Azteca Stadium, co-host Mexico started the largest World Cup tournament in history by getting goals in each half while three red cards were shown — two for South Africa and one for Mexico.

While millions of soccer fans cheer or groan over World Cup matches spanning North America, health officials will be on high alert for germs.

Should it reflect the host countries? Be a global banger? Value a chant-along chorus? There's an argument to make for each — or perhaps all.

Mexico kicks off festivities Thursday with a star-studded event, even as some critics say the government has spent too much time and money catering to international visitors at residents' expense.

The cosmetic makeover that authorities have attempted to give the capital as visitors arrive from around the globe also has become a symbol of criticisms that the government is prioritizing its superficial appearance for World Cup fans over fixing critical structural issues that have long plagued the city.

All were destined for overseas markets, with nearly 80% set to be shipped to the Americas, where the World Cup is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The jersey, by Colombian sportswear manufacturer Saeta, originally included a depiction of the final battle of the Haitian War of Independence in 1803 on its front.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended World Cup ticket prices on Wednesday, saying "if we do something wrong, then probably everyone selling tickets in North America is doing something wrong."

The countdown is on to the start of the World Cup. The tournament is the biggest in the event's history, with 48 teams competing across the United States, Canada and Mexico. But organizers have faced criticism over ticket prices and geopolitical tensions have complicated travel for some teams and their supporters. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Roger Bennett of Men in Blazers.

The tentative contract will give stadium cooks among the highest wages for the job in the country, with many earning $40 an hour in about two years.

This marks the second time that the tournament will be played in multiple countries with Japan and South Korea sharing the 2002 edition.

Many of the stadiums have been renamed by FIFA for the duration of the tournament because the companies that paid for the naming rights are not FIFA sponsors.