The Mexican men’s national football team took the win in the 2026 World Cup opening game, beating South Africa 2-0.

It was a great showing for the team coached by Javier Aguirre, which played some great attacking football and nullified a South African team that pushed but ultimately lacked quality.

The Tri, as the Mexican national team is affectionately known, took the lead early on. In the 8th minute, the South African team gave up possession from a goal kick, and the ball fell to striker Julián Quiñones. The forward opened up a shot for himself and slotted it between the legs of Ronwen Williams, the South African goalkeeper.

The African team gained some ground as the minutes passed. However, they couldn’t hurt a Mexican defense that showed some vulnerability.

In the 22nd minute, the match was paused for a cooling break so players could drink and take a breather. Despite a comfortable 23°C in Mexico City at the time of the match, the altitude of 2,240 meters above sea level does demand extra effort from players.

Mexico remained the driving force in the match, forcing some big saves by Williams, who wrapped up the first half as South Africa’s best player.

The match went into halftime with the Tri still just one goal up, and the second half brought more of the same. 

A second goal

In the 49th minute, South Africa’s Siphephelo Sithole became the first player to be sent off in this World Cup, as he brought down Érick Gutiérrez as he ran clear on to the goal.

However, numerical superiority led Mexico to relax, losing some of its attacking spark and prompting protests from the fans. Aguirre must’ve agreed, as he subbed on one of the most promising young stars in the tournament, 17-year-old Gilberto Mora, who became the youngest Mexican player to feature in a World Cup.

The change worked, as Roberto Alvarado soon found Raúl Jiménez with a cross to give the 2-0 lead.

In the 83rd minute, South Africa was reduced to nine men on the pitch, as midfielder Themba Zwane was sent off after VAR called up referee Wilton Sampaio to review an action where he struck a Mexican defender in the face while struggling for position.

With the match reaching a plateau, the last controversy of the game came in the 91st minute, when Mexican defender César Montes was sent off for tackling South African attacker Khuliso Mudau from behind.

It proved a solid debut for Mexico, who were very superior to their rival and looks like a strong candidate to reach the knockout stages. However, the Tri also showed some defensive frailties that a better team than South Africa could’ve taken advantage of, so they’ll have some adjustments to make

The hosts will take on South Korea at the Guadalajara Stadium next Thursday, in what could prove to be the key game to overcome the group stage.