The 2026 FIFA World Cup got its opener at the Estadio Azteca, and it did not disappoint. Mexico beat South Africa 2–0 in a chaotic, emotionally loaded match that featured three red cards, a record for a World Cup opening game, and two goals that will live long in Mexican football memory. Julian Quiñones struck after just nine minutes, the earliest World Cup opener goal since Philipp Lahm in 2006, before Raúl Jiménez headed home his first-ever World Cup goal to seal it in the second half, tears streaming down his face at the final whistle.
By the end, South Africa were down to nine men. Mexico finished the game with ten. No one inside the Azteca seemed to care.
The Opening Ceremony Set the Tone
Before a ball was kicked, the occasion demanded something big, and it got it. Shakira, performing “Dai Dai,” the official tournament anthem with Burna Boy, headlined the opening ceremony in what was her fourth appearance at a World Cup opener. She was joined by Mexican rock legends Maná, opera icon Andrea Bocelli, and a surprise cameo from actress Salma Hayek. Mexican-American songwriter Lila Downs opened proceedings in Spanish, English, and the indigenous languages Mixtec and Nahuatl, a detail that landed hard with the home crowd.
The Azteca itself had received a significant renovation ahead of the tournament, becoming the first stadium in history to host three World Cups. The noise inside when the teams walked out was something else entirely.
Quiñones Breaks the Deadlock — and the Record Books
Mexico needed just nine minutes to settle their nerves, or at least start calming them.
Yaya Sithole, South Africa’s midfielder, gave the ball away cheaply under pressure, and Quiñones pounced. The Colombian-born forward, who faced criticism when he first declared for Mexico in 2023, drove a powerful strike into the net from inside the box. First goal of the 2026 World Cup, nine minutes in.
For Quiñones, who finished as the top scorer in the Saudi league this season, it was a full-circle moment. The criticism about his eligibility faded the second the net rippled. “I’m happy and excited to have scored in this packed stadium and with the fans supporting us the whole time,” he said afterwards. “We played well and we achieved this victory as a team.”
South Africa’s five-back system made things compact, but Mexico’s high press was too much for Bafana Bafana to handle consistently. The co-hosts were dominant throughout the opening period, Jiménez was denied twice by Ronwen Williams, and Quiñones struck the post in an impressive first half that should have produced more than one goal.
The Red Cards Begin
The second half is where things got complicated, and that’s putting it gently.
Sithole, already having a nightmare afternoon, was shown a straight red card early in the second half after he brought down Brian Gutiérrez on the edge of the box when clean through on goal. Referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio had no hesitation. South Africa were down to ten men, and what was already a difficult task became a near-impossible one.
Jiménez made it 2–0 shortly after, heading in Roberto Alvarado’s cross at the back post for his first-ever World Cup goal in three tournaments. It was also his 46th international goal, drawing level with Jared Borgetti for second on Mexico’s all-time scoring list, six behind Javier “Chicharito” Hernández. Given everything Jiménez has gone through, a life-threatening head injury in 2020 that threatened to end his career entirely, the tears were more than understandable.
Then South Africa substitute Themba Zwane made it worse for Bafana Bafana. VAR flagged a moment where Zwane’s hand caught Alvarado’s face while competing for the ball. Referee Sampaio reviewed it on the pitchside monitor and reached for his pocket. A second red card. South Africa were down to nine.
The debate around that particular decision has already started, ESPN’s VAR analyst suggested it was a harsh call given the threshold for violent conduct, and many felt the referee was not entirely convinced by what he saw on the screen. But the decision stood, and Bafana Bafana were in deep, deep trouble.
With two minutes left, Mexico’s César Montes was also dismissed. South Africa broke forward with four players against three, and Khuliso Mudau raced into the box. Montes clipped him just outside the area, the referee pulled out a red for denial of a goalscoring opportunity, and VAR upheld it. Three red cards in a World Cup opener, the most ever in such a fixture.
Interestingly, South Africa were also involved the last time a World Cup match saw three straight reds: a 1998 group stage game against Denmark, where Bafana Bafana had one to Denmark’s two.
History Made, and Long Overdue
For Mexico, this win was about more than the three points. It was their eighth time playing in a World Cup opening match, and their first win. They had previously lost five and drawn two, including the 2010 opener against South Africa itself in Johannesburg, where Siphiwe Tshabalala’s rocket from the left channel became one of the most iconic images in World Cup history.
Sixteen years later, the roles reversed. Mexico won, the Azteca shook, and the co-hosts are up and running in Group A.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had goose bumps like that,” defender Israel Reyes said after the final whistle.
South Africa’s road through the group now looks considerably harder. They face South Korea and the UEFA Playoff D winner still to come, and they’ll do so without Sithole and Zwane for at least the next match. Coach Hugo Broos had built genuine resilience into this Bafana Bafana side over five years, finishing third at the last Africa Cup of Nations was no small feat — but those dismissals have opened a wound at a very bad time.
Match Summary
2026 FIFA World Cup — Group A, Matchday 1 Mexico 2–0 South Africa Venue: Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
Goals:
- Julián Quiñones (MEX) — 9′
- Raúl Jiménez (MEX) — 67′
Red Cards:
- Sphephelo “Yaya” Sithole (RSA) — 49′ (DOGSO)
- Themba Zwane (RSA) — 84′ (Violent conduct, VAR)
- César Montes (MEX) — 90+2′ (DOGSO)
Referee: Wilton Pereira Sampaio | VAR: Nicolás Gallo Barragán
