MEXICO CITY — Mexico started the 2026 World Cup off exactly as it hoped, scoring on either side of halftime to beat South Africa 2-0 in a match dominated by the home side.
El Tri had the lead after just nine minutes, with Julian Quinones finishing past South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams from just outside the box.
Mexico started the second half strong as well, with Brian Gutierrez running free toward goal in the 49th minute, only to be taken down by Sphephelo Sithole, who was shown a red card.
The lead was doubled in the 67th minute as México forward Raul Jimenez nodded in a cross from Roberto Alvarado.
South Africa was reduced to nine men in the 84th minute, killing any chance of an improbable late rally.
And Mexico also saw red before the final whistle with center back Cesar Montes ejected for a last-man tackle that will see Mexico manager Javier Aguirre forced to modify his center-back pairing in the next game.
Mexico now turns its attention to its second group game, a date in Jalisco with South Korea, while South Africa will hope to bounce back against Czechia.
– Jon Arnold
Leading 2-0 Mexico’s César Montes was sent off in the 92nd minute, the third red card of the match. Bit of a harsh red, but Mexico will see out this match with 10 players.
After a lengthy review, it was determined that a Themba Zwane made contact to the face with a Mexico player. South Africa picks up their second red card of the match and will play the final 10 minutes down to nine men.
Goalscorer Juliàn Quiñones out, Alexis Vega in for El Tri
Alvarado sets Raúl Jiménez up for a header that gets past Williams for a Mexico goal. El Tri takes a 2-0 in the 67th minute.
MEXICO CITY — Mexican forward Raúl Jiménez has been wearing a custom, medically approved protective head guard for the past five years and will continue to do so for the remainder of his career.
On November 29th, 2020, Jiménez suffered a catastrophic head injury while playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers in a Premier League match against Arsenal. Jiménez clashed head-on with Arsenal defender David Luiz.
Luis Chavez & Gilberto Mora in.Brian Gutiérrez & Álvaro Fidalgo out
Brian Gutiérrez had a great run on the ball ,but was dragged from behind by Sithole before he could get into the box. Sithole picks up the first red card of the 2026 World Cup.
MEXICO CITY – Mexico leads 1-0 at halftime at the Estadio Azteca. After the thrill of the opening ceremony, the anthems and the quick goal from Julian Quiñones, the fans have been slightly more calm than they were at the start. Still, Mexico looks to be feeling their backing, dominating the rest of the opening 45 minutes, with the failure to take a 2-0 lead into the break with that flurry of chances from minutes 39-41 the only real negative mark on things for El Tri so far.
– Jon Arnold
Fans watching the 2026 World Cup opening match between Mexico and South Africa likely saw something they didn’t expect in the middle of play: ads.
A water break was taken about 25 minutes into the first half at Estadio Azteca on Thursday, June 11, and when the players got to the sideline, Fox went to a commercial break, the first time it has happened in a World Cup.
Read the full story by Jordan Mendoza.
The acronym in soccer means Denying an Obvious Goal-Scoring Opportunity, and it’s an egregious offense that demands a red card. That’s what happened when South Africa’s Sphephelo Sithole received a red card for a rugby-style tackle on Mexico’s Brian Gutiérrez in the 49th minute of the World Cup opener. Sithole approached Gutiérrez from behind, causing Gutiérrez to fall to the ground.
MEXICO CITY – Mexico’s turning up the intensity again after a few slow minutes. Raúl Jiménez fired one towards the top right corner of the net that Williams had to basically fly for the save.A few seconds later, Julián Quiñones was just a few inches away from a brace in the first half when his shot bounced off the right post.
– Andres Soto
Brian Gutiérrez just picked up Mexico’s first yellow card of the 2026 World Cup after a hard foul in the 26th minute.
Mexico‘s Julián Quiñones scored just nine minutes into the opener against South Africa on Thursday, June 11, finding the net with a great low strike after a turnover.
In front of a raucous crowd at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, the home side forced the issue by causing a turnover high up the field.
MEXICO CITY — I can’t even find the words to properly describe the atmosphere inside Estadio Azteca right now. The roars of the host country, the singing of “Cielito Lindo” and chants of “ME-XI-CO!” have only grown stronger over the past 5 hours from the time the stadium opened to kickoff. Alejandro Fernández almost didn’t even need to sing the national anthem himself.After the anthems concluded, giant turquoise disks made to look like papel picado rained down from the stands — and when Julián Quiñones made the opening goal for El Tri, those gave way to beer.
– Andres Soto
Mexico and South Africa have kicked off at the Estadio Azteca to begin the 2026 World Cup after all the pregame festivities and national anthems.
Raul Rangel, Cesar Montes, Johan Vasquez, Israel Reyes, Jesus Gallardo, Erik Lira, Alvaro Fidalgo, Brian Gutierrez, Raul Jimenez, Julian Quinones, Roberto Alvarado
Ronwen Williams, Aubrey Modiba, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Nkosinathi Sibisi, Khuliso Mudau, Ime Okon, Teboho Mokoena, Sphephelo Sithole, Jayden Adams, Lyle Foster, Iqraam Rayners
Seth Vertelney: Mexico 2-0 South Africa. Mexico carries plenty of momentum into this match. Bolstered by a home crowd, El Tri should be able to start the tournament off on a winning note.
Jon Arnold: Mexico 3-0 South Africa. South Africa is a team that depends on its defense, but with the energy of the Estadio Azteca behind El Tri, plus the attacking options Javier Aguirre does have at his disposal, Mexico fans will be celebrating a big win all weekend.
Jesse Yomtov: Mexico 4-0 South Africa. The Azteca is going to be an absolute cauldron and Mexico should overpower South Africa in a rematch of the 2010 opener.
Victoria Hernandez: Mexico 3 – 0 South Africa. Mexico has everything to play for, el orgullo, la historidad, la gente. Hosting the World Cup again is a big deal and El Tri will be fired to prove why they should be considered one of the greats.
Group A (Mexico) | Group B | Group C | Group D (USMNT) | Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H | Group I | Group J | Group K | Group L
MEXICO CITY — Fans at the Estadio Azteca for the World Cup opener were greeted with predictably steep prices for concessions.
Bottled water is going for 80 pesos ($4.55), 160 pesos for a Coca-Cola and 290 pesos – $16.67 – for a 24-ounce beer. If you want to grab a bite, concession stands are selling three tacos for 240 pesos.
The Group A matchup between Mexico and South Africa kicks off at 3:00 p.m. ET.
The game is airing on Fox, but you can also watch on Fubo or the Fox One App . Spanish language broadcasts are available on Telemundo and Peacock .
“Estadio Banorte” is the sponsored name of the Estadio Azteca, which is temporarily going by “Mexico City Stadium” due to FIFA’s naming regulations.
Thursday’s World Cup opener is behind held at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, the famed venue that hosted the 1970 and 1986 World Cup finals and underwent massive renovations ahead of the 2026 tournament.
El Tri swept the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League and CONCACAF Gold Cup titles, defeating Panama in the former final and the USA in the latter.
Striker Raul Jimenez – who took years to recover his full form after a scary head injury suffered playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers in November 2020 – scored six times across four matches between the semifinals and finals of those competitions.
– Reuters
Mexico vs. South Africa is kicking off at 12 p.m. Pacific Time.
Goalkeepers: Raul Rangel (Chivas), Carlos Acevedo (Santos Laguna), Guillermo Ochoa (AEL Limassol)
Defenders: Israel Reyes (Club América), Jesús Gallardo (Toluca), Jorge Sánchez (PAOK), César Montes (Lokomotiv Moscow), Johan Vásquez (Genoa), Mateo Chávez (PSV)
Midfielders: Erik Lira (Cruz Azul), Luis Romo (Chivas), Obed Vargas (Atlético Madrid), Brian Gutiérrez (Chivas), Orbelín Pineda (AEK Athens), Edson Álvarez (Fenerbahçe), Gilberto Mora (Club Tijuana), César Huerta (Anderlecht), Álvaro Fidalgo (Real Betis), Luis Chávez (Dynamo Moscow)
Forwards: Roberto Alvarado (Chivas), Alexis Vega (Toluca), Julián Quiñones (Al-Qadsiah), Santiago Gimenez (AC Milan), Guillermo Martínez (Pumas), Armando González (Chivas), Raúl Jiménez (Fulham)
Temperatures will be in the mid-70s in Mexico City on Thursday, with rain possible around kickoff at 3 p.m. ET. The humidity was at 77% as of 10:30 a.m. ET.
Thursday’s game in Mexico City kicks off at 2 p.m. central time at the Estadio Azteca.
El Tri has never won the World Cup and the team’s best-ever finish was a trip to the quarterfinals in 1970 and 1986 – both tournaments hosted by Mexico.
Goalkeepers: Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Ricardo Goss (Siwelele FC), Sipho Chaine (Orlando Pirates FC)
Defenders: Khuliso Mudau (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Olwethu Makhanya (Philadelphia Union), Bradley Cross (Kaizer Chiefs FC), Aubrey Modiba (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Thabang Matuludi (Polokwane City FC), Nkosinathi Sibisi (Orlando Pirates FC), Ime Okon (Hannover 96), Samukele Kabini (Molde FK), Mbekezeli Mbokazi (Chicago Fire), Kamogelo Sebelebele (Orlando Pirates FC), Khulumani Ndamane (Mamelodi Sundowns FC)
Midfielders: Teboho Mokoena (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Thalente Mbatha (Orlando Pirates FC), Jayden Adams (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Sphephelo Sithole (CD Tondela)
Forwards: Oswin Appollis (Orlando Pirates FC), Tshepang Moremi (Orlando Pirates FC), Evidence Makgopa (Orlando Pirates FC), Lyle Foster (Burnley), Iqraam Rayners (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Relebohile Mofokeng (Orlando Pirates FC), Themba Zwane (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Thapelo Maseko (AEL Limassol)
The World Cup inauguration festivities begin at 1:30 p.m. ET at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
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