World Cup nears kickoff after pre-tournament turbulence

MEXICO CITY: The World Cup kicks off on Thursday with FIFA betting that the enduring appeal of the greatest footballing show on earth can rise above anger at soaring ticket prices, an uneasy political climate in Donald Trump’s America and the shadow of conflict in the Middle East. A record 48 teams and millions of fans are set to descend on the US, Canada and Mexico for the first ever World Cup co-hosted by three nations, the largest and most logistically complex edition of the tournament ever staged. The action gets under way at Mexico City’s iconic Estadio Azteca on Thursday, with co-hosts Mexico taking on South Africa at 3 p.m. local time (1900 GMT), launching a sprawling, nearly six-week-long spectacle that will culminate in the final at New Jersey’s 82,500-seat MetLife Stadium on July 19.