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Full-Time: Mexico 2-0 South Africa: Co-hosts defeats Bafana Bafana in thrilling World Cup opener
83 min: Substitute Zwane sent off!
A second red for Bafana Bafana as the referee looks at the monitor and decides that Zwane swiped out and hit Alvarado in the face. South Africa are down to nine.
90 min: Referee indicates seven added minutes.
90+1 min: Red card for Mexico!
Mexico captain Cesar Montes is shown a straight red for denying South Africa a goalscoring opportunity.
90+4 min: South Africa wastes a freekick opportunity to pull one back.
Full-time: Mexico 2-0 South Africa
Mexico kicked off their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a comfortable 2-0 victory against South Africa.
Against a South African team that finished with nine men, the home team got off to a winning start thanks to goals scored by Raul Jimenez of Fulham and Julian Quinones of Juventus in either half of the match.
Mexico will be hoping to secure a spot in the next round when El Tri plays South Korea next, while South Africa will be hoping to bounce back to winning ways when Hugo Broos’ side faces the Czech Republic.
Mexico 2-0 South Africa: Raúl Jiménez doubles the home team’s advantage
67 min: A first World Cup goal for Raúl Jiménez!
Mexico finally, finally have a second. The touch from Quiñones in the build-up is a beauty to keep play going. He finds Alvarado out on the right who feeds a pinpoint cross into the box. Jiménez is on hand to finally get a World Cup goal in his fourth tournament, firing home past Williams.
73 min: No penalty for Mexico!
Jiménez goes down in the box, and he wants a penalty. There was a coming together between the Wolves forward and Bafana Bafana defender Sibisi. There was shoulder to chest contact but the referee says no to the appeals.
77 min: Double substitution for South Africa
Oswin Appollis replaces Aubrey Modiba and Makgopa replaces Iqraam Rayners as Bafana Bafana look for a way back in their 2026 FIFA World Cup opener againsr Mexico.
78 min: Double sub for Mexico
Alvarez comes on for Lira, winning his 100th cap in the process for the hosts, as well as Gonzalez, who also enters in place of Jiménez, who gets a big ovation after his goal.
Second half begins: Mexico 1-0 South Africa (Red card for Bafana Bafana)
46 min: Back underway! The second half is off and running with South Africa in possession. Straight away, Fidalgo wins the ball high up the pitch after Williams gives it away. His cross across the box is blocked before Gutierrez blazes over.
50 min: Red card! South Africa defender is sent off for a rough and late challenge. The South African man chases back to stop Gutierrez who was in behind and through on goal alone. Sithole catches his opponent in the back and see’s red for denying a goal scoring opportunity.
52 min: Raul Jiménez has the honours from the resulting free-kick right on the edge of the box, but the Premier League forward blasts it straight into the wall.
56 min: Good chance for South Africa! Modiba lets fly from range. It’s at a comfortable height for Rangel’s save, but a bit of a late swerve just makes him bobble.
57 min: First substitution for South Africa. Hugo Broos reshuffles his pack, with Lyle Foster sacrificed for Thalente Mbatha to account for that red card.
59 min: South Africa deal with Mexico’s latest free kick. It was a poor delivery that was behind the intended target of Reyes.
62 min: A second change for South Africa as veteran South African forward Zwane is on for Adams in midfield.
64 min: History made! A lovely moment for Gilberto Mora as the 17-year-old enters the fray as the youngest player to feature at the FIFA World Cup.The home fans are chanting his name!
67 min: GOAL! Raul Jimenez puts Mexico 2-0 up against South Africa.
Mexico 1-0 South Africa: World Cup hosts cruising against Bafana Bafana
30 min: Mexico forward Gutierrez makes a good run inside the box. The ball finds him as he tries to open it up from underneath his feet. There is an option for a pass on the edge of the box but Gutierrez takes the extra touch to have a pop. That allows the defender time to recover and make the block.
34 min: South Africa’s top striker Lyle Foster made a good run to the edge of the box as Hugo Broos’ men string together some passes. He looks to link with his winger onrushing into the area, but it’s a poor pass, rolling out of play.
36 min: Good save from Ronwen Williams! Mbokazi slides in to make a crunching tackle and stop Reyes down the right. He wins the ball before cleaning out his man. A proper challenge. Shortly after Wiliams has to be alert to get down low and pounce on a Mexican cross.
38 min: Foster misses brilliant chance! A rare chance for South Africa, their first indeed, as Mbokazi flings the ball into the box, finding Foster. He gets up between two defenders, but heads his shot wide of the post.
41 min: Williams saves South Africa again! A cross from the left and Mexico forward Raúl Jiménez gets just a glancing toe on it, guiding the ball towards the far post. As if diving in slow motion, Williams moves to his left, turning the ball away at full stretch.
45 min: Late chance for South Africa! Bafana Bafana keep it and Mbokazi strikes a shot at goal from range, but Rangel makes a comfortable stop.
Half-time: Mexico 1-0 South Africa! Mexico lead at the break.
Mexico vs South Africa: Match starts
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup opening game between Mexico and South Africa.
It’s a rematch of the 2010 opener in Johannesburg, but this time, Javier Aguirre’s side enters the match as favourites, ranked 14th in the FIFA rankings.
The referee, Wilton Sampaio from Brazil, gets us underway – and it is Mexico who kick off proceedings.
3 min: Mexico win an early free kick in a decent position around 30 yards out. It’s taken low but fires straight into the nearest wall.
4 min: Mexico come close to breaking the deadlock! Raul Jimenez meets a pinpoint cross with a fierce volley from just outside the area, but Ronwen Williams is equal to the challenge. The South African goalkeeper reacts brilliantly, producing a stunning save to keep the score level and deny Mexico an early lead.
9 min: GOAL! Mexico take the lead, Julian Quinones has the opener!
South Africa cough up possession inside their own half and are punished by the hosts. Ronwen Wiliams plays a teammate into trouble with a pass out from the back, and he is closed down, allowing Quinones through on goal. He slams the shot home past the keeper.
13 min: Mexico 1-0 South Africa
14 min: Raul Jiménez manages to get free off a corner, earning a free header inside the box. He gets underneath it, though, timing his jump wrong and ballooning the ball over the bar.
18 min: First yellow card! A pretty obvious booking as Teboho Mokoena lunges in late on Fidalgo. The referee had little choice but to pull out the first yellow card of the match.
23 min: Mexico defender Brian Gutiérrez is shown the yellow card for a bad foul on South Africa’s Teboho Mokoena.
25 min: Cooling break! South Africa’s first dangerous free kick of the game leads to little as the ball is comfortably cleared from the Mexican penalty area. With that, it is time for the first cooling break of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.