MEXICO City — Co-host Mexico delivered a dream start to its 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, defeating South Africa 2-0 on Thursday (Friday in the Philippines) to secure the country’s first-ever victory in a World Cup opening match before a jubilant crowd at the historic Estadio Azteca.
The triumph not only gave El Tri an early lead in Group A but also added another milestone to the tournament as the Azteca became the first stadium in history to host matches in three different FIFA World Cups.
Mexico seized control early as Julián Quiñones found the breakthrough in the ninth minute, beating South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams with a low shot to register the fastest goal in a World Cup opener since Germany’s Philipp Lahm scored six minutes into the 2006 tournament.
The hosts tightened their grip on the match after South African midfielder Sphephelo “Yaya” Sithole was shown a straight red card early in the second half for bringing down Brian Gutiérrez near the penalty area.
With the numerical advantage, Mexico continued to press and eventually doubled its lead through veteran striker Raúl Jiménez, who headed home from close range midway through the second half.
The goal carried added significance for Jiménez, as it was his 46th international goal, tying Mexican legend Jared Borgetti for second place on the country’s all-time scoring list.
South Africa’s hopes of a comeback faded further late in the match when Themba Zwane received a red card following a video review that found him guilty of striking Roberto Alvarado in the face, reducing the African side to nine men.
Mexico, however, did not escape disciplinary issues as defender César Montes was sent off during stoppage time, bringing the total number of red cards in the match to three.
In the other Group A fixture, South Korea also opened its campaign with a victory, rallying from a goal down to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1.
Czech captain Ladislav Krejcí gave his side the lead before Hwang In-Beom equalized. Substitute Oh Hyeon-Gu then emerged as the hero, scoring the winning goal in the 79th minute to complete South Korea’s comeback.
The victories left Mexico and South Korea tied atop Group A with three points each heading into their highly anticipated showdown next week in Guadalajara. South Africa and Czechia, meanwhile, will seek their first points when they meet in Atlanta./PN
