Mexico started World Cup 2026 In style, they beat South Africa 2-0 in a dramatic opening match played at a packed Mexico City stadium.
Julian Quiñones etched his name in the history of the tournament by scoring the first goal of the tournament, while Raul Jimenez added an influential goal in the second half to secure the three points for the hosts.
But the result was overshadowed by a chaotic ending that saw three red cards, leaving South Africa with nine men, while Mexico finished the match with ten men.
The atmosphere inside the stadium was electric long before kick-off, and Mexico brought that energy from the opening whistle.
Javier Aguirre’s side dominated possession early and almost took the lead within five minutes. Jimenez was given too much space inside the box and received a dangerous cross first time, but Ronwen Williams’ reaction was superb to turn away the effort and keep scores level.
Mexico’s pressure continued to mount, and the breakthrough came in the ninth minute thanks to a costly mistake by South Africa. A simple pass from Williams to Siphelo Sithole sparked trouble, and Eric Lira pounced to collect the ball on the edge of the box.
The loose ball reached perfectly to Quiñones, who calmly passed the ball between the goalkeeper’s feet to score the first goal of the World Cup and send the home fans celebrating.
Mexico is pressing after the opener
The early defeat shook South Africa and Mexico seemed capable of adding the second goal. Roberto Alvarado frequently found space on the right flank, while Brian Gutierrez and Alvaro Fidalgo managed the play in midfield.
Although Mexico dominated, they were unable to take full advantage before the end of the first half. Quiñones remained the biggest threat and almost doubled his tally when his low shot hit the post after a clash inside the penalty area.
Moments later, Williams again made an excellent save from Jimenez after he fired a cut pass into the box.
South Africa’s performance gradually improved over time and they finally scored their first shot on goal through Siyabonga Mbokazi, who shot a powerful shot that was easily blocked by Raul Rangel.
Spark of the second half
The second half exploded into life almost immediately. Just moments after the restart, Williams’ distribution again caused problems when a loose pass was intercepted on the edge of the area. South Africa was spared on that occasion, but the warning signs were there.
Three minutes later, disaster struck for Hugo Bros.’s team. Gutierrez raced towards goal after another Mexican attack and beat Sithole with his heel just outside the box.
This challenge deprived him of a clear goal-scoring opportunity, leaving the referee no choice but to show the first red card in the tournament.
The second goal came in the 67th minute. Quinones showed excellent composure to keep hold of the ball before firing past Alvarado from the right flank. The winger sent a precise cross into the middle, where Jimenez rose high to direct a powerful header beyond Williams.
Frustrations in South Africa began to boil as the match entered its final stages. Firstly, substitute Themba Zwane received a straight red card after a VAR review. Replays, which the referee initially ignored, showed the midfielder grabbing Alvarado in the face as he tried to ignore him.
Lots of red cards
The chaos continued until stoppage time. South Africa briefly threatened to counter-attack despite being two men down, but Cesar Montes brought down Khulisso Mudau just outside the box with the visitors ahead in numbers.
The foul denied a clear scoring opportunity and resulted in the third red card of the evening, leaving Mexico to end the match with ten men as well.
Even with the late dismissal, there was absolutely no danger of Mexico giving up its lead. Aguirre’s side dominated the ball during the final minutes and the remaining time ran out comfortably before the referee concluded the eventful opening match of the World Cup.
