The wait is over. Today at the Estadio Azteca, co-hosts Mexico met South Africa in the opening game of the 2026 World Cup, which the Mexicans are co-hosting with the United States and Canada. The match was a repeat of the 2010 opener in Johannesburg when the Bafana Bafana hosted the event. That game in 2010 ended 1-1, with South Africa opening the scoring with a fantastic strike by Siphiwe Shabalala before Mexico drew level in the second half. This time, the result was identical: a 1-1 draw.
Historic Stadium and Expanded Tournament
With 80,000 fans packing the prestigious Estadio Azteca, the opener was an incredible spectacle. Today's match in Mexico City marked 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.
The opening game was preceded by the opening ceremony, headlined by four-time Grammy-winning superstar Shakira, with Colombian singer J Balvin and South African singer-songwriter Tyla also among the performers. The stadium and its environs were in festive colours as organisers put finishing touches to what was expected to be a spectacular event.
Estadio Azteca Makes History
While hosting the opening match of the tournament is huge in itself, to make things more special, the gigantic Estadio Azteca made history as the first stadium to host three FIFA World Cup opening matches (1970, 1986 and 2026). Pundits had picked Mexico as clear favourites for the opening day win due to home advantage and a higher FIFA ranking. But with more than 80,000 attendees, the co-hosts found themselves under pressure to deliver the winning start their fans expected.
Mexico were 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. At number 60 in the FIFA rankings, South Africa are far below 14th-ranked Mexico. But Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos believed his side was more than capable of pulling off an upset.
South Africa's Return to the Global Stage
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 was just their fourth appearance. Looking ahead to a 'great game,' Broos told reporters before the match: “For us, it will be a fantastic experience. 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. Yet Broos’s side emerged from a difficult qualifying campaign, which included Nigeria, and managed to frustrate the hosts once again.
Tournament Format
The top two teams from each of the 12 groups – along with the eight best third-placed teams – proceed to the next phase, the round of 32, which has been introduced at the World Cup for the first time.
