Co-hosts Mexico have made a winning start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, defeating South Africa 2-0 in front of more than 80,000 fans at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
Julián Quiñones gave Mexico the lead in the 9th minute as the hosts dominated possession and controlled much of the match on home soil.
South Africa's hopes of mounting a comeback suffered major setbacks after Yaya Sithole was shown a red card in the 49th minute and Themba Zwane was sent off in the 84th minute, reducing them to nine men.
Co-host Mexico was also shown a red card.
Mexico capitalised on their numerical advantage and sealed the victory with a second goal from Raúl Jiménez in the 67th minute.
The match marked the beginning of the biggest FIFA World Cup ever staged, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches across 39 days in the three host nations – Mexico, the United States and Canada.
Meanwhile, South Korea will take on the Czech Republic in the second match of the day at 2pm.
