Mexico 2-0 South Africa, FIFA World Cup 2026: El Tri cruise past Bafana Bafana with goals from Quinenos and Jimenez

Julian Quinenos’ goal in the 9th minute and Raul Jimenez’s clinical finish in the 67th sealed the deal for Mexico in a match which produced a total of three red cards

Updated: June 12, 2026, 3:15 AM IST

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Mexican players celebrating after beating South Africa in the FIFA World Cup 2026 opener. (Photo credit: Instagram/FIFA)

Co-hosts Mexico won its first-ever opening match of the FIFA World Cup in the 2026 opener against South Africa in front of more than 50,000 Mexican fans inside the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. El Tri dominated Bafana Bafana across both halves to register a commanding 2-0 victory to go on top of Group A.

This fixture was actually the repeat of the 2010 edition’s opening match where Mexico and South Africa had played out a 1-1 draw. However, 16 years later, the story remained far from similar as the Mexicans came out all guns blazing against a clueless opponent which kept even less than 40% of ball possession throughout the match.

Also Read: MEX Vs RSA: Who scored the first goal of FIFA World Cup 2026? Find out about this Mexican forward

The hosts broke the deadlock in the 9th minute when Erik Lira won possession 20 yards outside the box, allowing Julian Quinones to pounce on the loose ball and fire a clinical finish through the legs of Ronwen Williams.

The match turned chaotic in the second half. Bafana Bafana were reduced to 10 men when Sphephelo Sithole saw red for bringing down Bryan Gutierrez. Mexico quickly capitalized on the advantage in the 67th minute with Raul Jimenez towering highest to power home a bullet header from Roberto Alvarado’s cross.

Things became uglier later on. Themba Zwane received South Africa’s 2nd red card for a strike to Alvarado’s face, leaving the visitors with 9 men. Exactly 7 minutes later, Mexican captain Cesar Montes was also sent off in stoppage time for a reckless foul. It was total chaos but El Tri walked out of Estadio Azteca with a solid win that has made them early contenders to finish at the summit of Group A. 

Up next in Group A, South Korea will take on Czechia at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara from 7:30AM (IST) onwards.