Group A Opener Pits Resurgent Mexico Against Determined South Africa

The 2026 World Cup gets underway today, with co-hosts Mexico facing South Africa in their opening Group A fixture at Estadio Azteca (Mexico City Stadium).
Representing the first of 104 games in total in the expanded 48-team era, this fixture serves as a nostalgic flip of the script from 2010, when Rafael Marquez cancelled out Siphiwe Tshabalala’s iconic opening strike in a 1-1 draw in Johannesburg.
Speaking ahead of the match, South Africa coach Hugo Broos urges discipline, insisting that Bafana Bafana must focus firmly on the present as they prepare to launch their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign against the host nation.
Sixteen years ago, South Africa opened their home World Cup agai...