By Juan Samuel Santana Chávez

The Mexican National Team started their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign on the right foot, defeating South Africa 2-0 in the opening match played before more than 80,000 fans at the Estadio Azteca. The squad led by Javier Aguirre broke a long winless streak in World Cup opening matches, with a record of 5 losses and 2 draws in 7 openers. The victory over South Africa ended a drought that had lasted 96 years, since the first World Cup held in 1930.

Mexico took the lead in the early minutes thanks to Julián Quiñones, who capitalized on a defensive error to score the tournament's first goal and ignite the atmosphere in the stands. The national team dominated much of the match and created several dangerous chances against the South African goal.

The decisive goal came in the second half when Raúl Jiménez appeared inside the box to seal the definitive 2-0. The Mexican forward thus scored one of the most important goals of his World Cup career, consolidating El Tri's superiority in a match where South Africa ended up playing with nine men after suffering two red cards.

In addition to the result, the match will be remembered for its intensity, as it became the first World Cup opening match with three red cards. Mexico earned its first three points in Group A and will now look to maintain momentum when they face South Korea in their next World Cup commitment.