Mexico vs South Africa: World Cup 2026 opening game – teams, start, lineups
The highly-anticipated 2026 World Cup kicks off at the iconic Estadio Azteca on Thursday, as cohosts Mexico face South Africa in a replay of the
The highly-anticipated 2026 World Cup kicks off at the iconic Estadio Azteca on Thursday, as cohosts Mexico face South Africa in a replay of the 2010 edition’s opener. Who: Mexico vs South Africa What: FIFA World Cup 2026 Group A match Where: Estadio Azteca, Mexico City When: Thursday, 1pm local time (19:00 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 16:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream. At the 2010 FIFA World Cup – the first on African soil – hosts South Africa faced Mexico in the tournament’s opening match, playing out a 1-1 draw. On Thursday, the teams meet again at the same stage. This time, cohosts Mexico welcome South Africa, as the much-awaited 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in North America. With 80,000 fans expected to pack the prestigious Estadio Azteca, the opener promises to be an incredible spectacle. Al Jazeera tells you all you need to know The biggest-ever World Cup’s curtain raiser Thursday’s match in Mexico City will mark the start of a 39-day tournament, featuring 104 games – 40 more than in the last edition in Qatar 2022. With an expanded participation pool of 48 teams, the 2026 World Cup is the biggest in the sport’s history, and the first to be held in three countries: the United States, Mexico and Canada. Exactly 90 minutes before kickoff, an opening ceremony will take place, headlined by four-time Grammy-winning superstar Shakira, while Colombian singer J Balvin and South African singer-songwriter Tyla will also feature among the cast of performers.
Cohosts Mexico face home pressure to deliver The football-crazy nation of Mexico is no stranger to a World Cup. El Tri are gearing up for a whopping 17th appearance at the finals. While hosting the opening match of the tournament is huge in itself, to make things more special, the gigantic Estadio Azteca is set to make history as the first stadium to host three FIFA World Cup opening matches (1960, 1986 and 2026). Home advantage and a higher FIFA ranking make Mexico the favourites in this match, but with more than 80,000 attendees expected, the cohosts find themselves under pressure to deliver the winning start their fans expect. Mexico are unbeaten in their last eight matches, equalling the longest unbeaten run they have taken into a World Cup and providing further encouragement for Javier Aguirre’s side before the tournament. Don’t write off underdogs South Africa At number 60 in the FIFA rankings, South Africa are far below 14th-ranked Mexico. But Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos believes his side is more than capable of pulling off an upset. Unlike Mexico, who are near-regulars at the World Cup, South Africa are back on the global stage after a 16-year absence in what will be just their fourth appearance. “For us, it will be a fantastic experience,” Broos told reporters before the opening game. “It is very important that we keep ourselves to the game plan and don’t listen to what is happening in the stands.” South Africa’s preparations were disrupted by visa issues that delayed the arrival of several members of the travelling party, costing them valuable time to acclimatise to conditions in central Mexico.
The BriefWire