Mexico Opens World Cup Campaign with Confident 2–0 Win Over South Africa
Co-host nation Mexico made a winning start to the tournament, defeating South Africa 2–0 as the largest World Cup in history began on Thursday at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
While the night was a celebration for the home side, the match was overshadowed by three red cards—two shown to South Africa and one to Mexico—setting a record for the most dismissals in a World Cup opening match.
The victory marked Mexico’s first-ever win in a World Cup opener, having previously recorded five defeats and two draws in opening matches, including a draw against then-host South Africa at the 2010 tournament.
The occasion was especially significant for the Estadio Azteca, which underwent major renovations ahead of the 48-team World Cup co-hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada. With this fixture, the historic stadium became the first venue to host matches in three different World Cups.
More than 80,000 fans, most dressed in green, were treated to an early breakthrough. Julián Quiñones opened the scoring in under nine minutes, finishing low through the legs of South Africa goalkeeper Rowen Williams.
Quiñones’ strike, his first World Cup goal, also entered the record books as one of the earliest goals in tournament history, coming close to the benchmark set by Germany’s Philipp Lahm in 2006.
South Africa’s chances suffered a major setback early in the second half when midfielder Sphephelo Sithole was shown a straight red card for bringing down Brian Gutiérrez just outside the penalty area while he was through on goal.
Mexico doubled their advantage midway through the second half when veteran striker Raúl Jiménez rose to head home from close range, sealing the result for the hosts.
The goal marked Jiménez’s 46th international strike and his first in three World Cup appearances, moving him level with Jared Borgetti as the second-highest scorer in Mexico’s history, behind Javier “Chicharito” Hernández.
Mexico also introduced teenager Gilberto Mora, who came on to make his World Cup debut at just 17 years and 240 days, becoming the youngest player ever to represent Mexico at a World Cup and the sixth-youngest in tournament history.
Discipline continued to shape the match as South Africa’s Themba Zwane was later sent off following a VAR review for striking Roberto Alvarado. The incident marked the first time since 2006 that a team had received two red cards in a single World Cup match.
In stoppage time, Mexico’s César Montes was also shown a red card, bringing the total to three dismissals in the match—leaving the tournament just one short of the overall record for red cards in a single World Cup edition.
Despite the controversy, Mexico secured all three points, bouncing back strongly from their group-stage exit in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. They now sit at the top of Group A and will face South Korea next Thursday in Guadalajara.
South Africa, meanwhile, will look to recover when they meet Czechia in Atlanta on the same day.