Mexico cruise past nine-man South Africa in World Cup opener

Mexico made a winning start to their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign on Thursday, defeating South Africa 2-0 in the tournament’s opening match in a contest overshadowed by three red cards and a series of disciplinary incidents.

Backed by a crowd of 80,824 spectators, the co-hosts controlled much of the encounter and capitalised on South Africa’s indiscipline to claim all three points.

Mexico took the lead in the ninth minute when Julián Quiñones pounced on a defensive error and fired past goalkeeper Ronwen Williams to put the hosts ahead. The forward’s strike gave Mexico early control of the contest and energised the home supporters.

The hosts continued to create the better opportunities throughout the first half. Raúl Jiménez came close on several occasions, while Williams produced a number of saves to keep Bafana Bafana in the contest before the break.

South Africa’s hopes of mounting a comeback suffered a major setback four minutes into the second half when Yaya Sithole was shown a straight red card for a dangerous tackle, reducing his side to 10 men.

Mexico made their numerical advantage count in the 67th minute when Roberto Alvarado delivered a pinpoint cross into the penalty area and Jiménez headed home to double the hosts’ advantage.

The match became increasingly ill-tempered as frustrations grew within the South African ranks. Matters worsened in the 84th minute when substitute Themba Zwane was sent off following a VAR review, leaving Bafana Bafana with just nine players on the pitch.

However, the drama was not over. Deep into stoppage time, Mexico defender César Montes was also dismissed after the referee judged his challenge worthy of a straight red card, reducing the hosts to 10 men before the final whistle.

Despite the late dismissal, Mexico comfortably saw out the closing stages to secure victory and an ideal start to their World Cup campaign.