Mexico Beats South Africa 2-0 as 2026 World Cup Opens With Record Three Red Cards
Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez scored in front of 80,824 at the Estadio Azteca, but the tournament's raucous first night will be remembered as much for the cards as for the goals.
MEXICO CITY — The biggest World Cup ever staged could hardly have asked for a noisier first night. Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 at the Estadio Azteca on Thursday to open the 2026 tournament, riding an early goal from Julián Quiñones and a landmark header from Raúl Jiménez in front of a capacity crowd of 80,824 — and surviving a match that produced three red cards, the most ever shown in a World Cup opening game.
For long stretches the football itself was almost beside the point. Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio ended up at the centre of the evening, dismissing two South Africans and one Mexican in a game that turned scrappy well before the final whistle. By the end, South Africa were down to nine men, and Mexico will have to get through their next group match without one of the anchors of their back line.
An early lead, then a piece of history
Quiñones needed only nine minutes to settle the home crowd, sweeping in the tournament's first goal. The 29-year-old forward, born in Colombia and the top scorer in the Saudi league this season, was one of six players in Mexico's starting lineup making a World Cup debut. None of them looked like it.
The second goal carried more weight. Jiménez rose to meet a cross in the 66th minute and powered his header home for his 46th international goal — and his first at a World Cup, at the third tournament of his career. The strike moved him level with Jared Borgetti for second place on Mexico's all-time scoring list, six behind Javier "Chicharito" Hernández.
Three reds and a record nobody wanted
South Africa's evening unravelled around its discipline. Sphephelo Sithole was sent off in the first half, and Themba Zwane followed after the interval once Sampaio had walked to the pitchside monitor and ruled that a swipe from the midfielder had caught Roberto Alvarado in the face. Reduced to nine, Bafana Bafana spent the closing stages simply trying to keep the scoreline respectable.
Mexico did not escape clean either. Defender César Montes was shown red in injury time, which means all three dismissed players will sit out their teams' second group games. No World Cup opening match had ever produced three red cards before.
The 48-team era is underway
Before kickoff, Shakira headlined the first of the tournament's opening ceremonies alongside Nigerian star Burna Boy, the pair performing "Dai Dai," the official song of the 2026 World Cup. The expanded field of 48 teams — up from 32 — makes this the largest edition in the competition's history, spread across Mexico, the United States and Canada over the next five weeks.
The night also carried an echo of 2010. Mexico and South Africa met in the tournament opener in Johannesburg sixteen years ago and played out a 1-1 draw; this time El Tri, who went out in the group stage in Qatar four years ago, left no doubt. The Azteca, for its part, became the first stadium to host matches at three World Cups, having staged the finals of 1970 and 1986.
Later on Thursday in Guadalajara, South Korea fell behind against Czechia before rallying to win 2-1, leaving the Koreans level with Mexico on three points at the top of Group A. The two group leaders meet next Thursday, also in Guadalajara, while South Africa will try to rescue their campaign against the Czech Republic the same day in Atlanta — with two of Thursday's starters watching from the stands.