4 Takeaways From Mexico’s Triumphant World Cup Opener vs. South Africa

Mexico’s opening-day curse is broken. After the numerous opening performances that preluded the start of the 2026 World Cup inside the iconic, colorful and majestic Mexico City Stadium, Mexico finally kickstarted the tournament with a joyous and confident victory. Ten-man Mexico took down nine-man South Africa, which offered very little, in a 2-0 win. Yes, you’re reading that right. Three red cards were dealt in the opening match of the entire World Cup. Amazingly, this wasn’t the first time it’s happened in the tournament — but it was the first three-red card World Cup game since Portugal-Netherlands in 2006. South Africa was even involved in a three-red card World Cup match back in 1998. Back to today. With goals from an excellent Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez, Javier Aguirre’s squad delivered a strong performance, temporarily placing it at the top of Group A. But it wasn’t perfect. I mean, how can it be with all these sending-offs? But at least three points were achieved, and that’s all that matters. As for South Africa? Bafana Bafana need to improve significantly if they want to get out of the group. There were too many individual errors and a lack of discipline, evidenced by the two red cards. Here are my takeaways. 1. So Many Red Cards Hinder Actual Match Analysis You can only judge by what you see in front of you, and when a team faces nine men, then it’s only a matter of closing a match, not competing in one. But then, when another red card enters the narrative, the conclusion of the match becomes disjointed. South Africa’s Sphephelo Sithole was sent off in the 49th minute for being the last man and stopping Brian Gutierrez’s one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Consequently, that red card sadly impacted the African nation’s afternoon — and that’s after Hugo Broos’ side entered this fixture with a heavily defensive and counterattacking mindset. In the 84th minute, Themba Zwane, who only came on in the 62nd, was sent off after catching Roberto Alvarado in the face. By then, the match was fully over, and the African side could only hope the scoreline wouldn’t worsen. Mexico’s red card — which I don’t think should have been given, as the intended player who was fouled was going away from the goal — came too late to impact anything. But it does speak of a fragility that Aguirre’s side can often show. It did deserve the three points. No doubt. And prior to the sending off, could it have been better for the CONCACAF side? Sure. Are there things to improve? Absolutely. And as FOX Sports analyst Peter Schmeichel mentioned before kickoff, it’s important to remember that Mexico City’s altitude (7,350 feet) is unforgiving, so the strategy from Mexico had to be focused on patience. And quite honestly, the start of the World Cup always takes time for teams to adjust, especially with this particular edition, with so many teams and locations involved. But in the end, earning three points was the most important factor, as fans around the stadium sang, “Cielito Lindo,” highlighting their joy after Mexico reached its objective: winning. 2. Welcome To The Big Leagues, Gilberto Mora Gilberto Mora isn’t new to Mexico’s national team, but he still made history with his World Cup debut. At 17 years old and 240 days, Gilberto Mora came on in the 66th minute for El Tri and became the youngest Mexican and North American player to feature at a World Cup. He is now the youngest CONCACAF player to appear in a World Cup game, edging out fellow Mexico player Manuel Rosas, who was 18 in the 1930 World Cup. What’s more, he’s also the first player born after the 2006 FIFA World Cup final to appear in a World Cup match. I talked about him in our World Cup predictions story, and hopefully, we will see him shine at some point in the group stage — and even further. I don’t know about you, but when I was 17, I was busy taping my CD player with scotch tape as I tried to listen to Nas’ “Illmatic” whilst getting out of doing my math homework. Unbelievable to think that the teenager, Mora — who is scouted by major European clubs — is now a World Cup player. 3. Mexico’s Three-Man Attacking Line Shined Aguirre’s decision to start the Colombian-born attacker Julián Quiñones — last season’s top scorer in the Saudi Pro League — was not just because of his goals. It was also due to his movement in the three-man attacking line and his ability to capitalize on South Africa’s mistakes in possession. Quite simply, the 29-year-old was everywhere, dropping to midfield, moving from wing to wing and causing mayhem, as the older Raúl Jiménez prioritized the box. He took his goal well, the first one of the tournament, and kickstarted the Mexican crowd’s euphoria. Just before the break, another shot of his hit the post. Quiñones’ energetic and animated style is a its addition to this lineup, which sometimes looks for answers when the rhythm of the match is not going their way. Quiñones could be the X-factor. Chivas’ Roberto Alvarado was also superb, providing width and danger, as his excellent assist gave way for Jiménez’s headed goal. Speaking of the striker who just returned to Wolves, I was so happy to see his goal. Jiménez lost his father to pancreatic cancer back in March, so it was clearly an emotional moment for him. All three were great. 4. Strong Defensively, Mexico Needs To Work On Possession Without the ball, you always know what you’re getting from Aguirre’s Mexico, as it is focused heavily on protecting the goalkeeper. Erik Lira, for example, was excellent. But with the ball, it needs to be more decisive and perhaps a little quicker entering the final third. That’s necessary because, as I mentioned earlier, El Tri will face tougher opponents in the future and most definitely those with 11 men on the pitch — unless they keep racking up red cards. But today was about getting used to the competition, this challenging altitude and the objective to get stronger as the tournament evolves. Hopefully, it can be more aggressive as it enters the opposition’s half. 4 ½. What’s Next? Following Mexico’s World Cup-opening win, El Tri will head to Guadalajara Stadium to face South Korea on June 18. Aguirre’s squad will have to navigate that second Group A match without César Montes due to the suspension resulting from his red card. South Africa must quickly put the opening match behind it and regroup before playing Czechia at Atlanta Stadium on June 18. It will be a massive uphill battle for Hugo Broos’ side, which will be forced to take the pitch missing Sithole and Zwane.