Sixteen years after they last met on this stage, Mexico and South Africa do it all again — at the Azteca, at the World Cup, on the day the whole world is watching.
Mexico face South Africa in the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on Thursday, June 11, at 1pm local time. The fixture is a direct replay of the 2010 World Cup opener in Johannesburg — a match remembered forever for Siphiwe Tshabalala’s stunning goal that united a continent and opened Africa’s first-ever World Cup.
A Legendary Venue
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The Estadio Azteca carries weight that few stadiums in the world can match. It hosted the 1970 World Cup final. It hosted the 1986 World Cup final. Now, in 2026, it becomes the only venue in history to have staged World Cup matches across three separate tournaments. That is a record that will stand for generations.
An expected 80,000 fans will fill the ground. Mexico enter the game in outstanding form — eight successive unbeaten friendlies, including wins over Ghana, Australia, and Serbia. Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa remains in the squad, the only player in either team to have appeared in both the 2010 and 2026 editions of the tournament.
South Africa’s Opportunity
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For South Africa, the circumstances are reversed from 2010. Then, they were the hosts, carried by an entire continent’s hope. Now, they are the visitors, arriving at a ground that will be hostile, in a city that breathes football.
Coach Hugo Broos has faced a difficult preparation. His side drew 0-0 with Nicaragua and 1-1 with Jamaica in their final warmup games. Neither result was encouraging. However, South Africa have players with pace, physicality, and the ability to cause problems on the counter-attack. Furthermore, the symbolism of being Africa’s representative in the tournament’s opening fixture gives them a motivation that no training session can manufacture.
The World Cup Has Begun
After months of anticipation, 39 days of football are about to unfold across Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Forty-eight nations. One hundred and four matches. A final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19.
It all starts today. It all starts at the Azteca. The world is watching.
