AP:After years of preparation, a supersized World Cup has finally arrived.This year's tournament — which is hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico — was expanded to 48 teams that will play in 16 stadiums in a record 104 matches over the 39-day tournament.Mexico gets the World Cup started on Thursday and will be heavy favourites when they host South Africa in Mexico City. The second game of the day will be between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara, Mexico. All four teams are part of Group A.Canada and the United States will host their first games on Friday. The Canadians will play Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto, while the Americans face Paraguay in Inglewood, California.MEXICO ARE HEAVY FAVOURITES AGAINST SOUTH AFRICABoosted by a home crowd and a star-studded opening ceremony with performances that include Andrea Bocelli and homegrown talent like Alejandro Fernández and Maná, Mexico hope to play better in this World Cup than in 2022, when they failed to advance from the group stage for the first time since 1978. El Tri will be led by veteran Raúl Jiménez and 17-year-old midfielder Gilberto Mora. Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa will be competing in the World Cup for a record sixth time. South Africa are playing in their fourth World Cup and first since they hosted the tournament in 2010.The games in Mexico will be played at high elevation. The Azteca stadium in Mexico City is at roughly 7,300 feet, while Guadalajara sits at 5,138 feet, meaning visiting teams will have to make a significant adjustment to the altitude.South Korea hope to build on '22 World Cup success vs CzechiaSouth Korea are one of the best teams in Asia and have qualified for 11 tournaments in a row since 1986. The Koreans made it to the round of 16 in 2022 before losing to Brazil. Son Hueng-min, 33, is the captain and might be playing in his last World Cup. WORLD CUP STICKER SHOCK WITH SKY-HIGH PRICESFIFA has faced pressure for sky-high World Cup ticket prices and sales tactics that fans say left them with worse deals than they wanted.The attorneys general in New York and New Jersey, which is hosting eight World Cup matches including the final, announced last month that they are investigating whether FIFA's ticketing practices violated consumer protection laws.Some seats for the July 19 final are going for nearly US$33,000.IN THE US, BIPARTISAN SCEPTICISM OF INFANTINO, FIFAIn the deeply polarised US, few things unite elected leaders outside the White House quite like scepticism of Gianni Infantino and FIFA, the governing body of the world's most popular sport.It's a sentiment that cuts across the divide and spans from Washington to state capitals and city halls.There are mayors like Zohran Mamdani of New York and Karen Bass of Los Angeles, Democrats who've balked at ticket prices. Republican Senator Todd Young of Indiana, who played Division 1 football at the US Naval Academy, said FIFA has been "detached from regular people around the world".