Mexico Shuts Down South Africa 2–0 to Win World Cup Opening Game

Mexico shut out South Africa in its capital city on June 11 to open the 2026 World Cup with a 2–0 home victory that was marred by a historic number of fouls.

More than 80,000 fans who were packed into the famous Azteca stadium—officially known in this tournament as Mexico City Stadium—erupted in celebration after 97 minutes, three yellow cards, and three red cards, the most red cards ever in a World Cup opener.

Mexico started the game with possession and maintained possession for nearly 60 percent of the first half.

South Africa’s goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams, faced his first test from Mexico’s Raúl Jiménez about four minutes into the game, and he would face 10 shots in the first half.

But “El Tricolor”—team Mexico’s nickname, for the three main colors on their national flag—got past Williams first just nine minutes into play. Mexico’s Érik Lira stole the ball from the South African defense at the top of their own penalty box and passed it off to a charging Julián Quiñones, who secured the first goal of the tournament.

As the ball crashed into the netting, the thousands of fans in the historic Azteca stadium erupted in a celebration not heard for decades. They were joined in spirit by millions more gathered at watch parties across Mexico and North America—including Washington.

“We grow up watching this,” Mexico fan Anna Villareal told The Epoch Times. “It’s kind of a new experience, living these moments in the U.S., of course.

“We’re just expecting the best, having a good moment, and Mexico is going to win today.”

Quiñones, Lira, Jiménez, and their teammates continued to pressure their opponent’s goalkeeper while protecting their own.

South Africa had zero shots on goal 35 minutes into the game and came away with only two shots on goal by the end of the 45-minute half. Mexico ultimately outshot South Africa 14–4.

But where South Africa did outperform its hosts in both halves was in fouls. South Africa’s physical play earned its players two yellow cards and two red cards.

The first red card came three minutes into the second half. South Africa’s Sphephelo Sithole earned it after tackling Mexico’s Brian Gutiérrez to shut down a breakaway.

The major infraction left South Africa with only 10 players to Mexico’s 11 for the remainder of the match. With that advantage, Jiménez brought his home crowd to life again with a driving header past Williams 76 minutes into play.

South Africa’s second red card came roughly 83 minutes into play, dropping their side to only nine players.

Mexico also earned one yellow card in the first half, and its captain, César Montes, was handed a red card for a defending tackle at 92 minutes.

Still holding a one-man advantage, Mexico continued to defend, and the game was called after 97 minutes.

This opening match was a repeat of the opening of the 2010 World Cup, when South Africa played Mexico in Johannesburg, ending in a 1–1 draw.

Mexico City is the first to host a World Cup three times, previously playing host in 1970 and 1986. This opening win continues El Tricolor’s streak of never losing at the Azteca in a World Cup game. In all previous appearances, they either won or tied.

That stadium is known to be a very difficult venue for visiting teams because of its high altitude, air quality, and noise level. However, analysts noted before the game that South Africa spent 10 days in Mexico City to acclimatize ahead of the match.

Mexico failed to advance beyond the initial group stage at the last World Cup, held in Qatar in 2022. However, they were able to make it to the quarter-finals in 1970 and 1986.

Under the leadership of head coach Javier Aguirre, El Tricolor once again begins the pursuit of its first-ever World Cup championship.

This game was the first of more than 100 planned across Mexico, Canada, and the United States over the next several weeks. It began with a celebration of all 48 nations that had qualified to participate.

Play was preceded by a celebration that featured a procession of every nation’s flag and a song sung live by Andrea Bocelli and Dua Lipa to celebrate the global nature of the sport of soccer.

“It’s more than just a game,” they sang. “It’s in our DNA.”

Jackson Richman contributed to this report.