Co-hosts Mexico made a winning start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup after beating South Africa 2-0 in the opening match today, June 11, 2026 at the iconic Azteca Stadium.
The victory extended Mexico’s impressive record in World Cup opening matches, taking their unbeaten run to eight games since 1998, with six wins and two draws.
The hosts began brightly and created their first clear opportunity in the fifth minute when striker Raul Jimenez struck a powerful low effort, only to be denied by South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.
However, the warning went unheeded by Bafana Bafana and, four minutes later, they conceded the opening goal of the 2026 World Cup.
Midfielder Yaya Sithole lost possession in a dangerous area, allowing Julián Quiñones to pounce on the loose ball and calmly fire Mexico into the lead.
The goal saw Quiñones write his name into the history books as the first scorer of the 2026 World Cup.
It was also the earliest opening goal of a World Cup since Philipp Lahm scored for Germany in 2006.
As the first half drew to a close, Mexico came close to doubling their advantage when Quiñones struck the post with a well-placed effort.
South Africa’s hopes suffered a major setback shortly after the restart when they were reduced to 10 men in the 49th minute.
Sithole was shown a straight red card for a foul on Brian Gutiérrez.
With a numerical advantage, Mexico increased the pressure and eventually found a second goal midway through the second half.
Jimenez finished expertly from Roberto Alvarado’s inviting delivery to score his first-ever goal in a World Cup finals tournament.
That strike effectively ended South Africa’s hopes of mounting a comeback, with Mexico continuing to play with confidence in front of their passionate home supporters.
Matters went from bad to worse for Bafana Bafana late in the game when substitute Themba Zwane was shown a straight red card following an altercation with Alvarado, leaving South Africa with just nine men on the pitch.
Mexico also finished the match a player short after Cesar Montes received a red card for bringing down Khuliso Mudau.
However, the dismissal had little impact on the outcome as the hosts comfortably saw out the match to secure all three points.
The result gives Mexico an early boost in Group A and provides the perfect start to their World Cup campaign in front of a jubilant home crowd.
