Mexico defeat South Africa in opening World Cup group match

The opening round of the 2026 World Cup group stage took place at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium, where hosts Mexico faced South Africa. The match produced its first goal in the 9th minute, when Mexico's J. Quinones finished from an assist by E. Lira to give his side an early lead.

As the game continued, South Africa's Teboho Mokoena was booked in the 17th minute, and Mexico's Brian Gutiérrez received a yellow card in the 23rd minute. In the 49th minute, South Africa's Siphephelo Sithole was sent off for a foul, leaving South Africa at a numerical disadvantage for the rest of the match.

Although South Africa made several substitution attempts, including bringing on L. Foster in the 56th minute and J. Adams in the 61st, Mexico doubled their lead in the 67th minute when R. Jimenez scored from a pass by R. Alvarado to effectively seal the result.

The closing stages brought more discipline issues. South Africa's Nkosinathi Sibisi was shown a yellow card in the 74th minute, and South Africa later replaced E. Makgopa. In the 84th minute, South Africa's Themba Zwane was sent off amid controversy, while Mexico's César Montes also received a red card in stoppage time for a foul, leaving both sides with reduced numbers at the end.

Mexico ultimately won 2-0 over South Africa, securing victory in their opening group match and showing a strong performance.