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Mexico and South Africa are the stars of today's opening match of the at the Estadio Ciudad de México, replicating exactly the same matchup that opened the tournament 16 years ago in Johannesburg, marking a historic first in the history of the World Cups.
This is the first time that the same matchup has been repeated as the opening match of a World Cup. On June 11, 2010, Soccer City in Johannesburg hosted a 1-1 draw between both teams that is etched in the memory of world football.
Siphiwe Tshabalala scored one of the most memorable goals in the history of opening matches, the first in a World Cup held on African soil, before Rafael Márquez equalized for the Tri in the final minutes.
Since then, no other opening match of a World Cup has ended in a draw.
Mexico arrives as the host with the pressure and hope of its fans. The team led by Javier Aguirre will compete in its eighteenth World Cup and comes in undefeated in 2026, with victories in friendly matches against Ghana, Australia, and Serbia.
The history of the Tri at home is favorable: they have only lost one of their nine World Cup matches played in Mexican territory.
The Ciudad de México Stadium adds an additional historical component. The legendary venue will host its twentieth World Cup match, more than any other venue in the history of the tournament, and Mexico has never lost a World Cup match there, accumulating five victories and two draws.
The venue previously hosted two World Cup finals, in 1970 and 1986, and was the site of the famous "Game of the Century" between Italy and West Germany in the semifinals of Mexico 1970.
South Africa's Bafana Bafana will compete in their fourth World Cup, and their first away from home since 2002. They qualified as leaders of Group C in the African qualifiers after defeating Rwanda 3-0 in October 2025.
In the final tournament, both teams are placed in the Group A along with South Korea and the Czech Republic, with South Africa's goal of advancing past the group stage for the first time after three consecutive attempts without success.
The record between the two teams favors the Mexicans, with two victories, one draw, and one defeat in four matchups. However, the only encounter between them in a World Cup ended without a winner, a precedent that suggests the match may be more balanced than the forecasts indicate.
Before the kickoff, the inaugural ceremony will feature Shakira and Burna Boy as the main highlights, alongside artists such as Belinda, Los Ángeles Azules, Alejandro Fernández, J Balvin, and Maná, starting at 11:30 AM local time.
This edition of the tournament is the twenty-third in history and the first to feature 48 teams and three host countries: Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
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