FIFA World Cup 2026 — Group A | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City | 11 June 2026 | Attendance: 80,824
The Estadio Azteca on Thursday evening became the first stadium to host World Cup matches at three separate tournaments. It did so in the Azteca way: loud, full, and chaotic.
Julian Quinones scored the first goal of the 2026 World Cup, a 9th-minute finish that set Mexico on their way. Raul Jimenez added the second in the 67th minute. South Africa, organised and competitive for long stretches, collapsed after the interval. Three red cards in 45 minutes of the second half reduced the match to nine vs ten. The final score was 2-0 to Mexico. The final headcount was nine South Africans and ten Mexicans.
Three red cards in a World Cup opening match. This had never happened before. Not once in 96 years and 23 editions of the tournament. Mexico vs South Africa is now the seventh match in World Cup history to feature three or more dismissals, and the only opening game to do so.
The Key Moments
Quinones gave Mexico the lead inside 10 minutes. It was the kind of moment an Azteca crowd demands from the opening stages: the ball in the net, 80,824 people on their feet. The first goal of the 2026 World Cup, scored in the ground that has hosted the tournament three times.
South Africa held their shape through the first half. They gave Mexico something to think about and were not outclassed before the break. The red cards changed everything.
Sphephelo Sithole was dismissed in the 49th minute for denying a goal-scoring opportunity, leaving South Africa with 10 men. They competed at a disadvantage for 36 minutes before Themba Zwane received a red card for violent conduct in the 85th, cutting the side to nine. Cesar Montes of Mexico followed in the 90th minute, making it nine against ten for the final moments.
Jimenez’s second goal in the 67th minute had already settled the match before the late dismissals piled on. South Africa’s night deteriorated from competitive to historically unusual in the space of an hour.
What the Result Means
Mexico lead Group A with three points. South Korea also won on opening day, beating Czech Republic 2-1 at the Estadio Akron. The group now stands with Mexico (3pts, GD +2) and South Korea (3pts, GD +1) level at the top, and South Africa and Czech Republic on zero.
Mexico face South Korea on 18 June at the Estadio Akron in what is already a significant Group A match. Win that and Mexico advance. South Africa face Czech Republic in Atlanta on 18 June. A defeat there would push them to the brink of elimination from the group stage.
The night carries historical weight beyond the scoreline. The Azteca first hosted a World Cup in 1970. Then 1986. Now 2026. No stadium in the world has done that. Mexico have played eight World Cup matches at this ground across three tournaments and have never lost one: five wins, three draws.
Thursday’s victory was also Mexico’s first win in a World Cup opening match. Across their previous openers, they had zero wins, two draws, and five defeats. That particular record ended at 2-0 in front of an 80,000-strong home crowd, in the tournament’s first match, on the ground where they have never lost.
Next Fixtures
- Mexico: 18 June vs South Korea, Estadio Akron, Zapopan
- South Africa: 18 June vs Czech Republic, Atlanta
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