The 2026 FIFA World Cup, the largest iteration of football’s most prestigious global tournament, got underway on Thursday in dramatic fashion at Mexico City’s legendary Estadio Azteca, where co-host Mexico secured a comprehensive 2-0 opening win against a South Africa side that finished the match reduced to nine players.
The opening goal of the entire tournament came early, catching South Africa cold in just the ninth minute. A misplaced pass out from the back by South Africa’s Sphephelo Sithole put Julian Quinones in position to strike, and the Mexican forward drilled a low, precise effort through goalkeeper Ronwen Williams’ legs to put the hosts ahead.
Before the goal, pre-match celebrations filled the iconic stadium with thick red, green and white smoke, echoing Mexico’s national colors. The 80,824 sell-out crowd erupted into a deafening roar that echoed across the concrete stands of the Azteca — a venue that made history as the only stadium to host World Cup matches across three different editions of the tournament, earning its reputation as one of the game’s great cathedrals.
South Africa manager Hugo Broos had repeatedly warned his squad ahead of kickoff about the intimidating atmosphere the packed crowd would generate, but his players appeared paralyzed by the occasion in the opening stages. Every completed Mexican pass was met with a raucous chant of “Ole!” from the stands, and the side never managed to find their rhythm against the fired-up hosts.
Sithole, who was directly at fault for the opening goal, saw his afternoon cut short in the 49th minute. After being caught out of position, he bundled over Brian Gutierrez when the Mexican attacker was clear through on goal, leaving the referee with no choice but to show a straight red card.
Mexico capitalized fully on their numerical advantage in the 67th minute, breaking away on a clinical counter-attack. Winger Roberto Alvarado drove down the right flank before delivering a pinpoint cross to the far post, where veteran Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Raul Jimenez nodded home to double the hosts’ lead, putting the result beyond doubt.
South Africa’s miserable outing got even worse in the 84th minute. A VAR review of a clash between Themba Zwane and Alvarado found that Zwane had thrown an arm into Alvarado’s face, resulting in a second red card for Broos’ side. Late drama added one final twist, when Mexican defender Cesar Montes was also sent off for a clumsy late challenge on Khulisa Mudau at the edge of the penalty area, leaving both sides to finish the match with 10 men.
For Mexico, the result marks a perfect opening to their Group A campaign, getting their bid for knockout stage qualification off to the ideal start in front of their jubilant home fans. For South Africa, it is a disappointing opening day that leaves them with work to do to climb out of the group in their opening World Cup outing in nearly a decade.