Mexico defeats South Africa 2-0 in the World Cup’s opening match

By Glen Levy, Ben Church

Mexico City (CNN) — In a game that saw more red cards than goals, Mexico has won the opening match of the 2026 World Cup with a 2-0 victory over South Africa. The goal from Julián Quiñones in the opening 10 minutes was more than enough, but Raúl Jiménez got a second in the second half – a wonderful moment for the striker.

Mexico proved why no one will want to come play it at the Estadio Azteca. It looks well-drilled, pragmatic, and motivated to repay the support given to it from its thousands of fans.

South Africa, meanwhile, looked short of ideas and will need a big turnaround in form to get anything from this World Cup.

With the expanded tournament, and so many third-place teams advancing, this win for Mexico should pretty much guarantee its passage into the knockout phase.

The-CNN-Wire
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