2026 World Cup: Mexico kick off with a dominant win over South Africa
Mexico never looked rattled. On Thursday night at the Azteca in Mexico City, in front of 80 824 roaring fans, El Tricolor launched their World Cup campaign with a convincing 2-0 win over South Africa in a match that produced three red cards. Co-hosts of the 23rd edition of the tournament, Mexico handled the huge pressure on their shoulders, just as they had when the World Cup was last on home soil in 1986, when they beat Belgium 2-1 in their opener.
Julian Quinones was the standout in the first half. The left winger opened the scoring in the 9th minute after a poor clearance from Rowen Williams, with Erik Lira nicking the ball off Sithole before slipping it into his path. Quinones then let fly from distance in the 20th minute and hit the post in the 42nd, carrying almost all of Mexico’s attacking threat on his own. At the other end, the Bafana Bafana sat in a 5-3-2 and never really threatened the Mexican keeper.
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Three red cards, Jimenez seals it, Mexico can breathe
The turning point came in the 50th minute when Sithole was sent off, leaving South Africa with 10 men. The South African back line, which had held together reasonably well until then, started to crack under sustained Mexican pressure. Raul Jimenez took advantage in the 67th minute, nodding home a perfect cross from Roberto Alvarado to make it 2-0. The Mexico striker, fresh from sealing his return to Wolverhampton in the Championship, delivered a priceless goal for the hosts.
The closing stages turned scrappy, with two more red cards in the final minutes, taking the total to three across the match. Mexico can now move on with far more confidence. El Tricolor did the job in front of their own fans and sent a clear warning to the rest of the group. The 2026 World Cup is up and running.
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