Mexico Beat South Africa 2-0 in Fiery World Cup Opener as Record 3 Red Cards Shown at Azteca (Video)
Last update: June 11, 2026
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Red cards, records, and a long-awaited win. Mexico’s 2026 World Cup party started with a bang — and a few brawls — in Mexico City.
Well, that was one way to kick off a World Cup.
Co-hosts Mexico got their 2026 campaign off to a flyer on Thursday, beating South Africa 2-0 at a bouncing Estadio Azteca. But if you thought the biggest World Cup in history was going to start quietly, think again.
This opener had a bit of everything: goals, history, a teenager making headlines, and a record three red cards. Yep, three. Two for Bafana Bafana, one for El Tri. It’s the most we’ve ever seen in a World Cup opening match. Feisty stuff.
For Mexico, though, this was pure joy. Believe it or not, they’d never actually won a World Cup opener before. Five losses, two draws — including that 1-1 with South Africa back in 2010 when they rained on the hosts’ parade. So this one felt sweet.
And what a place to do it. The Azteca has had a proper glow-up for this 48-team tournament that Mexico is co-hosting with the United States and Canada. It’s now the first stadium to host three World Cups. History, on and off the pitch.
The 80,000-plus crowd, all in green, didn’t have to wait long to get going either. Nine minutes in, Julián Quiñones slid one through Rowen Williams’ legs to give Mexico the lead. That’s the quickest goal to start a World Cup since Philipp Lahm scored after six minutes for Germany in 2006. Quiñones was the top scorer in Saudi this season and, well, he’s clearly brought his shooting boots.
South Africa’s task got a whole lot harder early in the second half. Sphephelo Sithole saw straight red for taking down Brian Gutiérrez when he was through on goal. Stonewall, to be fair.
The Azteca got a bit twitchy after that, but old reliable Raúl Jiménez settled things. A proper poacher’s header midway through the half made it 2-0. That’s his 46th goal for Mexico — and his first at a World Cup. It puts him level with Jared Borgetti for second on the all-time list. He’s now six behind Chicharito.
We also saw a bit of the future. Mexico threw on 17-year-old Gilberto Mora in the second half. At 17 years and 240 days, he’s now the youngest Mexican ever to play at a World Cup, and the sixth-youngest in the tournament’s history. Remember the name.
For South Africa, it just went from bad to worse. Themba Zwane got sent off after VAR spotted him catching Roberto Alvarado in the face. That’s the first time a team’s had two players sent off in a World Cup game since that wild Netherlands v Portugal match in 2006. You remember — the “Battle of Nuremberg”.
And Brazilian ref Wilton Pereira Sampaio wasn’t done. He gave Mexico’s César Montes his marching orders in stoppage time. Three reds in one match means we’re already one short of the total from the entire 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Four games in, lads.
So, three points for Mexico. After that first-round exit in Qatar, it’s exactly the start they wanted. They’re up against South Korea in Guadalajara next Thursday. South Africa face Czechia in Atlanta the same day, and they’ll need to keep 11 men on the pitch.
A mad start to a mad tournament. If the rest of this 48-team World Cup is like this, we’re in for a ride.
- http://cbinews.tv
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