Day One: Mexico Finally Win an Opener — and the Cards Come Out at the Azteca

Sixteen years to the day after Mexico and South Africa raised the curtain on a World Cup in Johannesburg, the same two teams did it again — this time at 2,200 metres, in front of more than 80,000 inside the Estadio Azteca. And this time Mexico won. Mexico 2–0 South Africa barely hints at the afternoon it was: the first goal of the expanded 48-team tournament inside nine minutes, a deeply emotional landmark for one of El Tri’s greats, and a piece of disciplinary history nobody had on their bingo card.

Day one of the 2026 World Cup eased in with a single match. It still packed in more plot than some entire group stages.

The curse, broken

Mexico had been involved in seven World Cup curtain-raisers before this one and won none of them. At the eighth attempt, at home, the streak finally died — along with a 26-year wait for a win over South Africa.

The echoes of 2010 were everywhere. Javier Aguirre was Mexico’s coach that day in Johannesburg too, when Siphiwe Tshabalala’s thunderbolt forced a 1–1 draw. Rafael Márquez, who scored Mexico’s equaliser that afternoon, stood beside Aguirre on the touchline as his assistant — and successor-in-waiting. And Guillermo Ochoa, controversially benched in 2010, sat on the bench once more at 41, part of a record sixth World Cup squad. Sixteen years between chapters; a much happier ending to this one.

Nine minutes in, the tournament had its first goal

The Azteca hadn’t finished its first rendition of “Cielito Lindo” when Mexico’s high press — emboldened, perhaps, by thin air the hosts know better than anyone — produced the opener. Erik Lira robbed Sphephelo Sithole of a heavy touch on the edge of the South African box, the loose ball ran to Julián Quiñones, and the forward drilled it low through Ronwen Williams’ legs. Nine minutes played, and the 48-team era had its first goal — scored by a man who hit 33 league goals in Saudi Arabia this season.

It should have been more before the break. Williams had already denied Raúl Jiménez inside four minutes, and Quiñones rattled the base of the post on 42 with the goalkeeper beaten. South Africa, set up in a deep 5-3-2, barely laid a glove: a Lyle Foster header wide and a long-range effort comfortably saved was the sum of their first half.

Jiménez, at last

In November 2020, Raúl Jiménez fractured his skull in a sickening collision and could plausibly never have played again. Six years, a protective headband and six World Cup substitute appearances later, he finally made his first start at a finals — at 35, in his home country, wearing the nine.

When Roberto Alvarado’s cross hung at the far post in the 67th minute, Jiménez powered the header in, then dissolved: tears, a leap, a finger pointed to the sky for his father, who died in March. It was his 46th international goal, lifting him joint-second on Mexico’s all-time list behind only Javier Hernández’s 52. The Azteca sang his name like it used to when he was a kid at Club América. Some goals are worth more than the one they add to the scoreline.

Three reds — a World Cup first

Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio ended up the afternoon’s other protagonist. Sithole’s miserable day was completed four minutes into the second half, sent off as the last man for hauling down Brian Gutiérrez in full flight. On 84, substitute Themba Zwane followed after a VAR review caught him swiping at Alvarado’s face off the ball. And deep into stoppage time, Mexico captain César Montes was dismissed for a professional foul on Khuliso Mudau — a call most observers filed under “harsh.”

Three red cards in a World Cup opening match had never happened before. Add in the tournament’s first yellow (Teboho Mokoena, 17th minute) and the now-standard hydration breaks in each half, and day one was a neat showcase of the stricter, hotter, more-scrutinised football we previewed in our guides to this summer’s new rules and the off-pitch changes — right down to the ref-cam replays on the world feed. All three dismissed players are now banned for their teams’ next group games.

The numbers

Mexico finished with 61% of the ball, 16 shots to South Africa’s 3, and an expected-goals line of 1.44–0.07 — about as one-sided as tournament openers get. One more for the history section: 17-year-old Gilberto Mora came on in the 66th minute to become the youngest player ever to appear for Mexico at a World Cup. Sixty seconds later, Mexico scored again. Correlation is not causation, but the Azteca chanting “Mora, Mora” didn’t seem to hurt.

What it means

Mexico top Group A overnight with three points and the look of a side that has made peace with home expectation. South Africa must regroup quickly — and short three suspended or rattled regulars — before facing Czechia in Atlanta next Thursday, while Mexico meet South Korea in Zapopan that same night. Even a wretched opening day is survivable under this format, with eight third-placed teams advancing; the maths is in our group-stage explainer.

Next up on the schedule: South Korea–Czechia in Guadalajara, then Canada’s first home men’s World Cup match against Bosnia & Herzegovina in Toronto. We’ll be tracking it all live — follow the scores here.