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Mexico kicked off the , defeating South Africa 2-0 this Thursday at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, in the tournament's opening match organized jointly by Mexico, the United States, and Canada. El Tri asserted their dominance over the Bafana Bafana in a match that will be recorded in the history books of football.
The start couldn't have been better for the home team. In the 9th minute, Julián Quiñones —a Colombian forward naturalized Mexican who plays for Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia— took advantage of a recovery through high pressing to score the first goal of the match and of the 2026 World Cup. Quiñones, the top scorer of the Saudi Pro League 2025-26 with 33 goals, showcased from the outset why he was called up by Javier Aguirre for the World Cup.
South Africa tried to respond, but the match became definitively complicated for them at the start of the second half: Y. Sithole was sent off between the 49th and 50th minutes, leaving the Bafana Bafana with ten men at the most challenging moment of the match.
Mexico did not waste its numerical superiority. In the 67th minute, Raúl Jiménez sealed the score with a header making it 2-0, as described by Deportes TVC: "Raúl Jiménez scores the second for the home team with a header." The forward was substituted just nine minutes later to applause from the Azteca crowd.
The statistics reflected Mexico's dominance throughout the 90 minutes: 58% possession compared to South Africa's 42%, 16 shots (four on target) against just three from the Africans (two on target), and three corners to one. Regarding cards, Mexico received one yellow (B. Gutiérrez, min. 23), while South Africa accumulated two yellows—T. Mokoena in the 17th minute and N. Sibisi in the 74th—along with the red card that affected the flow of the match.
The triumph holds historical significance that goes beyond the scoreline. Mexico broke its losing streak in World Cup opening matches by winning that encounter for the first time. Additionally, Azteca Stadium hosted its third World Cup opening match, following those of 1970 and 1986, solidifying its status as the most iconic venue in the tournament's history.
This is complemented by another remarkable fact: Mexico and South Africa repeated the matchup that opened the 2010 World Cup, marking the first time in history that the same match has inaugurated two different World Cups. On that occasion, both teams drew 1-1 in Johannesburg with goals from Siphiwe Tshabalala and Rafael Márquez. Sixteen years later, the storyline was very different.
With these three points, Mexico leads Group A after the first matchday. The group also includes South Korea and the Czech Republic, who also played their first match on Thursday. South Africa, aiming to advance past the group stage for the first time in its fourth World Cup participation, starts with zero points and an urgent need to respond in the upcoming group matches.
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