Report, result and goals as the three players sent off in the opening game of the World Cup
Mexico kicked off the 2026 World Cup in style, beating South Africa 2-0 in the opening match at a packed Mexico City Stadium.
Julian Quinones made his name in the history of the tournament by scoring the first goal of the tournament, while Raul Jimenez added a second half claim to secure three points for the hosts.
However, this result was overshadowed by the final game that issued three red cards, leaving South Africa with nine players and Mexico finishing with 10.
The atmosphere inside the stadium was electric long before the game started, and Mexico extinguished that energy with the opening whistle.
Javier Aguirre’s side dominated the game early and almost got the breakthrough within five minutes. Jimenez was given too much space in the penalty area and met a dangerous first-time cross, but Ronwen Williams reacted brilliantly to push the effort away and keep the scores level.
Mexico’s pressure continued to increase until a goal came in the ninth minute due to a mistake by South Africa. A simple pass from Williams to Sphephelo Sithole led to trouble, and Erik Lira hit the ball on the edge of the box.
The loose ball fell perfectly to Quinones, who calmly slotted through the keeper’s legs to score the first goal of the World Cup and send the home crowd into a frenzy.
Mexico advances after the opening
An early setback left South Africa reeling and Mexico looked unable to add a second. Roberto Alvarado repeatedly found space down the right side, while Brian Gutierrez and Alvaro Fidalgo dictated the play in midfield.
Although Mexico had plenty of possession, they were unable to capitalize fully before the break. Quinones is always a big threat and almost doubled his tally when his low drive hit the foot of the post after a flurry in the area.
Moments later, Jimenez was again denied by another excellent Williams after latching on to the goal post in the box.
South Africa gradually improved as the half wore on and eventually registered their first shot at Siyabonga Mbokazi, whose curling effort was collected by Raul Rangel.
Second half sparks
The second half burst into life almost immediately. Just seconds after the restart, Williams’ distribution again caused problems when a loose pass was intercepted on the edge of the area. South Africa escaped at the time, but the signs were there.
Three minutes later, tragedy struck for Hugo Broos’ side. Gutierrez raced towards the goal after another Mexico attack and Sithole clipped his heels just outside the box.
The challenge prevented a goal-scoring opportunity, leaving the referee with no choice but to issue the first red card of the tournament.
The second goal came in the 67th minute. Quinones showed excellent composure to keep possession before releasing Alvarado down the right. The winger delivered a direct cross into the middle, where Jimenez stepped up to direct a powerful header beyond Williams.
South Africa’s problems began to intensify when the match was about to close. First, substitute Themba Zwane was given a straight red card following a VAR review. The referees started to ignore it, replays showed the midfielder grabbing Alvarado in the face as he tried to clear him.
Lots of red cards
The chaos continued until it was time to stop. South Africa threatened to counterattack even though two players were down, but Cesar Montes cynically brought down Khuliso Mudau without a penalty and the visitors came out ahead in numbers.
The poor performance denied him a clear scoring chance and led to his third red card of the evening, leaving Mexico with 10 men.
Even with the late dismissals, there was never any danger of Mexico relinquishing their lead. Aguirre’s side controlled the ball in the final minutes and comfortably saw out the rest of the period before the referee called off the World Cup opener.
