Mexico made a successful start to the 2026 World Cup by defeating South Africa 2-0 in the tournament’s opening fixture. Playing before 80,824 spectators at the Azteca Stadium, the co-hosts handled the pressure of opening the competition on home soil and delivered a performance that rewarded the expectations of the crowd.
Head coach Javier Aguirre, who represented Mexico during the country’s previous World Cup as host in 1986, explained before the match how difficult it was to prepare his squad for such an occasion. According to the veteran manager, the younger members of the team needed to experience the atmosphere themselves in order to fully understand its significance.
The victory offered an encouraging response to the disappointment of four years earlier, when Mexico failed to progress beyond the group phase in Qatar. That exit ended a sequence of seven consecutive appearances in the round of 16, a record that had increasingly been viewed with frustration because it never led to a place in the last eight.
Quiñones and Jiménez deliver the goals
The home side wasted little time asserting control and moved ahead after only nine minutes. Julián Quiñones found the net to give Mexico an early advantage and ignite celebrations around the stadium.
Raúl Jiménez increased the lead in the 66th minute, heading home Mexico’s second goal of the evening. The strike was his 46th for the national team and his first goal across three World Cup appearances.
After the match, Aguirre suggested the scoreline could have been even more convincing. He felt his team created enough opportunities before halftime to establish a much larger lead and acknowledged that the intensity dropped somewhat after the interval. Nevertheless, he expressed satisfaction with beginning the campaign with three points while noting that further improvement remains possible.
Historic milestones and disciplinary drama
Jiménez’s goal carried additional significance, drawing him level with Jared Borgetti in second place on Mexico’s all-time scoring list. He now trails only Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, with six more goals needed to match the national record.
The striker continues to wear protective headgear following a serious injury suffered in November 2020 during a Premier League match for Wolverhampton Wanderers against Arsenal. The incident resulted in a fractured skull, surgery, and an eight-month absence before his return to action in July 2021.
The contest also entered the record books for disciplinary reasons. South Africa lost both Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane to red cards, leaving the team with nine players for the closing stages. Mexico’s César Montes was then dismissed during stoppage time, making it the first opening match in World Cup history to feature three expulsions. It was also the highest number of red cards shown in a tournament match since Portugal and the Netherlands received four in 2006.
Attention shifts to the next challenge
South Africa coach Hugo Broos admitted his side had been tested by a higher standard of opposition than they had previously faced. While disappointed by the result, he stressed the need for improvement ahead of the team’s upcoming matches.
Quiñones, a 29-year-old attacker born in Colombia, arrived at the tournament after finishing as the leading scorer in Saudi Arabia’s top division. He was also one of six Mexico starters making their World Cup debut.
The result places Mexico on three points in Group A. Aguirre’s team will now prepare for a meeting with South Korea in Guadalajara next Thursday, while South Africa is scheduled to face the Czech Republic in Atlanta on the same day. The Mexico coach insisted his focus remains solely on the next opponent, emphasizing the importance of progressing through the tournament one step at a time.
