Co-hosts Mexico kicked off the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a tempestuous 2-0 victory over South Africa at a rocking Estadio Azteca on Thursday, in a historic opening match defined as much by its goals as by a flurry of three second-half red cards.
Forward Julián Quiñones opened the scoring early, and veteran striker Raúl Jiménez sealed the win with a second-half header. However, the fiery encounter boiled over after the interval, leaving South Africa with nine men and Mexico finishing with ten.
The match marked a monumental day of firsts for international football. It inaugurated the first-ever 48-team World Cup, the first edition co-hosted across three nations (Mexico, Canada and the United States), and cemented the Estadio Azteca as the first stadium in history to host three World Cup opening ceremonies.
Mexico took control almost immediately. In the ninth minute, South Africa’s Sphephelo Sithole was dispossessed on the edge of his own penalty area. Quiñones capitalized on the error, driving a low shot through the legs of South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams to send the stadium into a frenzy.
Mexico dominated the remainder of the first half, with Jiménez forcing a diving save from Williams and Quiñones hitting the post just before halftime. South Africa’s lone first-half threat came in the 45th minute when Mbekezile Mbokazi’s long-range effort was comfortably handled by Mexican keeper Raúl Rangel.
The game shifted dramatically in the second half when Sithole’s miserable afternoon ended with a straight red card for bringing down Brian Gutiérrez from behind as the last defender.
Capitalizing on the numerical advantage, Mexico doubled their lead midway through the second half. Jiménez met a sharp, in-swinging cross from Roberto Alvarado, powering a downward header past Williams to score his first-ever World Cup goal.
Despite the comfortable lead, the match turned ugly in the closing stages. South Africa was reduced to nine men after Themba Zwane was sent off following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review for a violent arm to an opponent's face. In the dying moments, Mexican defender César Montes was also shown a straight red card for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity, marring the host nation's celebrations.
The victory breaks a historic jinx for El Tri, marking their first-ever win in a World Cup opening match after seven previous failed attempts.
Despite the maximum points, Mexico’s demanding manager, Javier Aguirre who played on the pitch the last time Mexico hosted the tournament in 1986 remained highly critical of the performance.
"This was a 4-0 match; we didn't play well enough, but people are happy," Aguirre told reporters post-match. "It's the start of the World Cup we've put the nerves behind us and now we have three points. We're thinking about what's next."
Montes' late red card leaves a tactical headache for Aguirre, who hinted that captain Edson Álvarez may have to drop back from midfield to fill the void at center-back for their next game.
Mexico travels to Guadalajara to face South Korea in their second Group A fixture on June 18, while South Africa flies to Atlanta to face the Czech Republic.
