Home, Tradition and Pressure: Can Mexico Handle the Opening Match Challenge?

Watch the report by Idan Cwoler, Walla Sport’s envoy to the World Cup / Walla staff. There are coincidences even screenwriters would struggle to invent. Exactly 16 years after Mexico and South Africa met in the opening match of the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg’s Soccer City, they will face each other again in the first game of the 2026 World Cup tonight (Thursday, 22:00, Sport1). Back then it ended 1-1, with an unforgettable goal by Siphiwe Tshabalala that shook all of Africa. This time, it will happen at the Azteca, as the biggest World Cup in history gets under way, with 48 national teams and 104 matches.

For the Mexicans, this is far more than just an opening match. It is a chance to launch another home tournament, their third, and they hope this one will also end with a historic achievement. Mexico’s third time hosting the World Cup is an unprecedented event, after 1970 and 1986, the country is becoming the first in the world to host three World Cups. In both previous tournaments held on its soil, the national team reached the quarterfinals, its best results in the competition’s history. For local fans, that is reason for optimism. If there is one place where Mexico knows how to succeed at the World Cup, it is at home.

The numbers are certainly encouraging them. The Mexican team has never lost a World Cup match played in Mexico City. In its seven matches in the capital, it recorded five wins and two draws, and conceded only two goals. But alongside the tradition and history, there is also enormous pressure. In Mexico, people are used to seeing the national team reach the round of 16, and all too often stop there. Eight straight World Cups have ended for the Mexicans in the round of 16. Now, with the tournament taking place at home, expectations are completely different. The local public is not satisfied with simply advancing from the group stage. It wants to see a team capable of at least matching the achievements of 1970 and 1986.

The man expected to lead the mission is veteran coach Javier Aguirre. For him, this is a third chapter in his World Cup career as Mexico’s coach, after already taking charge in 2002 and 2010. In fact, he is the first coach in the national team’s history to lead it in three different World Cups.

On the other side comes one of the pleasant surprises of World Cup qualifying. South Africa returns to the big stage after a 16-year absence. It secured its place in the tournament after finishing first in its qualifying group, ahead of Nigeria and Benin by just one point. For the Bafana Bafana, qualifying is already a significant achievement, but coach Hugo Broos has already stated that the goal is bigger, to reach the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time in the country’s history. To date, South Africa has taken part in only three tournaments and has never managed to get past the group stage.

Broos himself is one of the tournament’s more interesting stories. The 74-year-old Belgian will become one of the oldest coaches ever to stand on the touchline at a World Cup. Symbolically enough, both he and Aguirre know the stadium where the match will be played very well. Both played there in the 1986 World Cup, Aguirre for Mexico and Broos for Belgium. Forty years later, they are returning to the same place, this time as coaches in the World Cup opener.

The history between the two teams points to closely fought encounters. The most memorable match was of course played on June 11, 2010 in Johannesburg. South Africa then took the lead through a superb goal by Tshabalala, before Rafael Marquez equalized for Mexico. That draw became one of the most memorable moments in World Cup opening matches. But this time the conditions are completely different: if in 2010 South Africa was the host and enjoyed enormous support from the home crowd, now it is Mexico that will benefit from almost complete home advantage. More than 80,000 spectators are expected to fill the stadium, and the vast majority will be wearing green.

In Mexico, they believe victory is almost a must. In a group that also includes South Korea and the Czech Republic, any dropped points could make the road ahead much more complicated. Still, opening matches are known to be a trap for hosts. The pressure, the ceremonies, the global attention and the fear of making a mistake often create cautious, restrained games. South Africa, for its part, will arrive without real pressure. It has already achieved its first goal simply by qualifying for the tournament, and any point it takes from the hosts will be considered an achievement.

So when the opening whistle sounds in Mexico City, it will not just be a football match beginning. It will be the moment the 2026 World Cup itself gets under way. A whole country will hold its breath, millions of Mexicans will dream of another historic summer, and South Africa will try to spoil the party. Sixteen years ago it ended 1-1. This time, in Mexico, they hope the story will be written differently.

What is happening with the national teams? In the Mexican camp, there is cautious optimism. By all indications, most of the key players will be fit for the opening match, with veteran striker Raul Jimenez expected to lead the attack. Aguirre himself stressed in the past 24 hours that his players’ main challenge is not tactical but mental, dealing with the immense pressure that comes with a home World Cup.

In South Africa, there is positive news after captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams trained as usual and is expected to start. Coach Hugo Broos made clear that his team arrived in Mexico earlier than usual in order to adapt to the altitude of Mexico City, and he stated that despite their underdog status, the goal is to fight for a place in the round of 16, and not merely take part in the opening ceremony.