Mexico vs South Africa: the 2026 World Cup Finally Kicks Off at the Azteca
The expanded 48-team World Cup opens Thursday at Estadio Azteca, where Mexico face South Africa in a repeat of the 2010 opening fixture — and the famous old stadium makes history as the first to host three World Cup openers.
The waiting ends on Thursday. Mexico face South Africa at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City at 1pm local time (19:00 GMT) in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup — the first game of the new 48-team era, in front of an expected crowd of around 80,000.
The fixture itself is a deliberate echo: Mexico and South Africa also contested the opening match of the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg, a 1-1 draw remembered for Siphiwe Tshabalala's thunderous opening goal. Sixteen years on, the roles are reversed — and the venue adds its own weight of history. The Azteca becomes the first stadium ever to host three World Cup opening matches, after 1970 and 1986.
The co-hosts arrive in form. Mexico, ranked 14th in the world, are unbeaten across eight friendlies in 2026, a run capped by recent wins over Ghana (2-0), Australia (1-0) and a 5-1 dismantling of Serbia. Raúl Jiménez is expected to lead the line, though El Tri must cope without goalkeeper Luis Ángel Malagón and midfielder Marcel Ruiz, both ruled out through injury, according to ESPN.
South Africa, ranked 60th, are back at a World Cup for the first time since they hosted in 2010 — and their preparation has been bumpier: a goalless draw with Nicaragua and a 1-1 draw against Jamaica left coach Hugo Broos visibly frustrated with his side's sharpness. There was better news on the fitness front, with left-back Aubrey Modiba returning to training in time for the opener. Lyle Foster is expected to carry the attacking burden.
"For us, it will be a fantastic experience," Broos said of the occasion, per Al Jazeera. "It is very important that we keep ourselves to the game plan."
Group A also contains Czechia and South Korea, meaning Thursday's result could go a long way to deciding who tops the pool. For Mexico, anything but a winning start in front of their own fans — at a stadium where they have never lost a World Cup match — would count as a shock.
Sources: ESPN — Mexico vs. South Africa: kick-off time, team news, how to watch · Al Jazeera — Mexico vs South Africa: World Cup group match
