MEXICO CITY – Mexico began their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a 2-0 win over South Africa in the Group A opener at the Estadio Azteca, in a match that saw three players sent off.
Julián Quiñones opened the scoring in the ninth minute, latching onto a cross from Hirving Lozano, before Raúl Jiménez doubled the lead with a headed goal from a Luis Chávez corner in the 67th minute – securing three points for the hosts.
South Africa’s task became increasingly difficult after Sphephelo Sithole was shown a straight red card in the 50th minute for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. The visitors were then reduced to nine men when Themba Zwane was sent off in the 84th minute for violent conduct.
Mexico, however, failed to finish the game with 11 players after César Montes received a straight red card in stoppage time (90+3 minutes). All three red cards were issued by Brazilian referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio.
The match, played in front of more than 80,000 spectators at the iconic Azteca stadium, made history as the first World Cup opening game to feature three red cards.
The victory puts Mexico top of Group A with three points, while South Africa remain at the bottom without a point.
Mexico will face South Korea in their next match, while South Africa are scheduled to play the Czech Republic.
Sources: Xinhua, Bernama, BBC, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Tempo.co
