Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0 in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup on Thursday night in Mexico City.
The host took the lead in the 9th minute of the tie when Julian Quinones found the back of the net after South Africa’s Sphephelo Sithole made a defensive error, allowing Erik Lira to set up Quinones who made no mistake in burying the ball.
South Africa’s push for an equalizer was made harder when Sithole was sent off for a foul on Brian Gutierrez, the host could not make the resulting free-kick count.
Striker Raul Jimenez scored Mexico’s second in the 67th minute when he headed the ball in from the far post.
The game saw two more red cards as South Africa’s Themba Zwane was sent off for violence conduct, while Mexico’s Cesar Montes was also sent off for a foul in stoppage time.
The match is a repeat of the South Africa 2010, both teams played the opener with South Africa as host. The game ended 1-1, with Siphiwe Tshabalala and Rafeal Marquez on the score sheet.
Mexico will play South Korea on Thursday, while South Africa will play Czech Republic in the second matches of group A.
