Mexico City, Mexico – The Mexican national team began its 2026 World Cup campaign with a valuable 2-0 victory over South Africa. This came in the opening match played Thursday evening at the Azteca Stadium, as part of Group A.
The current edition of the World Cup, held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, saw the participation of 48 teams for the first time in the tournament’s history.
Kiniones scores the first World Cup goal
The home side started strongly from the opening minutes, dominating possession and searching for an early goal. Julian Quiñones capitalized on a glaring error by the South African defense to score the first goal of the 2026 World Cup in the ninth minute, firing the ball into the net to give Mexico the lead.
🇲🇽⚽️ جوليان كوينونيس يوقّع على أول أهداف كأس العالم FIFA 2026™
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— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) June 11, 2026The Mexican team maintained their attacking pressure throughout the first half and nearly doubled their lead on several occasions, most notably when Quiñones’ shot hit the post just before halftime.
A red card turns the tide of the match
At the start of the second half, South Africa’s woes increased after the referee showed a straight red card to Sifullo Sithole in the 49th minute. This came after he fouled Raul Jimenez, who was through on goal.
🟥 أول بطاقة حمراء في كأس العالم FIFA 2026™
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— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) June 11, 2026The Mexican team capitalized on their numerical advantage, with Raúl Jiménez extending their lead to 2-0 in the 67th minute with a powerful header. This came after a perfect cross from Alvarado.
راؤول خيمينيز يضاعف النتيجة لمنتخب المكسيك 🇲🇽🔥🔥🔥
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— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) June 11, 2026The drama didn’t end there, as the referee consulted VAR in the 82nd minute and decided to send off Themba Zwane for assaulting a Mexican player. South Africa thus finished the match with nine men.
الطرد الثاني في المباراة من نصيب لاعب جنوب إفريقيا ثيمبا زوين 🟥🇿🇦
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— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) June 11, 2026In stoppage time, the referee showed the third red card of the match, this time to Mexican defender César Montes. The game ended amidst heated scenes that saw three players sent off.
🟥 طرد آخر في المباراة هذه المرّة من جانب منتخب المكسيك
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— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) June 11, 2026With this victory, the Mexican national team earned its first three points in Group A, which also includes South Korea and the Czech Republic. This comes ahead of a highly anticipated match against South Korea in the second round.
Mexico breaks the opening match curse
Mexico also broke their World Cup opening match curse, securing their first-ever victory in their opening game at the tournament. This came after seven previous matches in which they failed to win.
