US faces Paraguay in first World Cup match on American soil in over 30 years: Live updates

Houston-area public transit users have a new option for paying fares that celebrates the FIFA World Cup's presence in the Bayou City.

METRO announced on Friday that it launched the FIFA World Cup 2026 Commemorative Fare Pass as a "convenient way to travel and a keepsake from one of the biggest events in history."

METRO officials said the passes, which are only valid for 10 days, cost $32 and allow riders to use buses, METRORail, METRO curb2curb, and the 500 Downtown Direct service.

There are three different passes that will only be valid for certain dates, according to METRO.

• Green Pass: June 12 - 22

• Blue Pass: June 19 - 29

• Red Pass: June 26 - July 6

METRO said the commemorative fare pass is available until supplies last.

Christian Pulisic is the most accomplished and most famous player on his national team at the exact time when his nation is hosting a World Cup.

Only a handful of prominent players in the past few decades have faced this confluence of talent and timing. They include a selection of generational greats: Zinedine Zidane for France in 1998, Michael Ballack for Germany in 2006, Neymar for Brazil in 2014.

Pulisic's U.S. teammates recognize the extraordinary burden he is carrying while the Americans prepare for their World Cup opener Friday night against Paraguay. From the field to the back row of the stands, everyone is looking to Pulisic for leadership and goals, hoping his full decade of international success with club and country will propel a middling soccer nation to new heights on home soil.

"I can't even imagine the weight that's on his shoulders," teammate Tyler Adams said. "From such a young age, he was the hope of American soccer."

Pulisic does not shy from the spotlight that will glare more brightly than ever in the next few weeks. In fact, he repeated on Thursday that this challenge is "what I've always wanted."

Now 27 years old, Pulisic has enough achievements and enough faith in his teammates to focus on how far the Americans can go, not how far they might fall.

Hwang In-beom scored a goal and set up another as South Korea rallied to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1 in the second match of the 2026 World Cup on Thursday night.

After a lackluster first half in which both teams were jeered as they left the field, the Czech Republic took the lead in the 59th minute on a header by captain Ladislav Krejci after a long throw-in into the penalty area.

South Korea equalized in the 67th, when Hwang scored after faking a shot with a nifty move to clear two Czech players. The midfielder who plays for Dutch club Feyenoord then made the cross from the right flank for Oh Hyeon-gyu's decisive strike in the 80th in a match played in front of hundreds of empty seats at Guadalajara Stadium.

The South Korean squad celebrated with its fans behind one of the goals after the final whistle. Players later posed for a photo with the fans behind them.

"It was our first game and a very difficult one," South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo said. "The win itself makes me happy, but what's even more positive is that our boys won by not giving up. I knew that we were more than capable of winning, so at 1-1, I told the boys to keep playing the way we've been playing."

Czech Republic coach Miroslav Koubek said "probably the better team won." But he said his team could have had a better outcome if it weren't for "some mistakes."

"We played very well, it could have been a draw and we could have won as well," Koubek said.

Mexico made an immediate impression on the largest World Cup in history, giving the roaring home crowd at the iconic Azteca Stadium a huge jolt of excitement four years after a major disappointment.

Mexico's players understood the intense pressure and high expectations they faced on Thursday in the opening match of the first 48-team World Cup. But they embraced their role and got off to a winning start by beating South Africa 2-0 in a match that also produced three red cards.

Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez scored the goals for Mexico, which is co-hosting the 2026 tournament with Canada and the United States. With his goal, Jiménez moved into a tie with Jared Borgetti for second place in scoring for Mexico's national team. He is six goals shy of leader Javier "Chicharito" Hernández.

South Africa players Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane were both given red cards, forcing the team to finish the match with only nine players. Mexico defender César Montes was then given a red card in injury time. It was the first time there were three red cards given in the opening match of a World Cup tournament.

Mexico now has three points in Group A and will play South Korea next Thursday in Guadalajara. South Africa will play the Czech Republic on the same day in Atlanta.