The 2026 FIFA World Cup is officially underway, and it could not have started in more dramatic fashion. Co-host Mexico opened the tournament with a 2-0 win over South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on June 11, in a match that produced two goals, three red cards, and a piece of World Cup history before the opening day was even over.
Match Summary
Julian Quinones gave El Tri an early lead with the first goal of the tournament, finishing from close range in the ninth minute. Mexico controlled large spells of the match and doubled their advantage in the second half through Raul Jimenez, who finished off a flowing move to make it 2-0. For Jimenez, the goal carried significant emotional weight. The 35-year-old suffered a serious head injury in 2020 that threatened to end his career, and scoring on home soil at a World Cup brought him to tears on the pitch.
Mexico dominated the underlying numbers, finishing the match with 16 shots to South Africa’s tally, though only four of those found the target. The two goals were enough to secure a routine opening win, though the closing stages of the match were anything but routine.
Three Red Cards Make World Cup History
The defining storyline of the match came in the second half, when three players were sent off in the space of a few minutes, the most red cards shown in a single World Cup match. It was only the second time this has happened in tournament history, the first being South Africa’s own World Cup opener against Denmark in 1998.
South Africa’s Sphephelo Sithole was the first to go, shown a straight red for pulling back a Mexican attacker who was clear through on goal, denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. Shortly after, with South Africa pushing for an equaliser and down to ten men, Themba Zwane was also dismissed for unsporting behaviour, leaving the visitors with nine players.
Mexico were not spared either. Deep into seven added minutes at the end of the match, defender Cesar Montes was shown a red card for serious foul play after South Africa broke forward in numbers. All three players will now miss their team’s next group game, with Mexico facing a defensive reshuffle and South Africa needing to find replacements for two key contributors against South Korea.
A Repeat of 2010, With the Roles Reversed
This match was a deliberate piece of World Cup symmetry. The 2026 opener was a direct repeat of the 2010 tournament curtain-raiser, when South Africa hosted Mexico and the two sides played out a 1-1 draw. Sixteen years on, the venues were reversed, with Mexico now the host and South Africa the visitor. Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre was in the dugout on both occasions, now in his third stint in charge of El Tri.
The Estadio Azteca itself made history of its own, becoming the first stadium in the world to host matches across three different men’s World Cups, having previously staged games in 1970 and 1986.
What’s Next
Mexico will look to build on their opening win when they face South Korea in Guadalajara on June 18, a side with considerably more recent tournament experience than South Africa and a talismanic forward in Son Heung-min, who is widely expected to be playing in his final World Cup. South Africa, meanwhile, will need a response after a chaotic opening day, with two of their first-choice players now suspended for the next match.
Elsewhere on the opening day of the tournament, South Korea came from behind to beat Czechia 2-1 in Guadalajara, closing out a dramatic first day of group stage action across Mexico.
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