Mexico Opens 2026 World Cup With Comfortable Home Win

Mexico opened the 2026 World Cup on Thursday with a comfortable 2-0 home victory over South Africa, repeating a matchup from the 2010 tournament opener in which the teams drew 1-1. This time Mexico, one of the tournament hosts, had no trouble against the visitors and started the competition with a clear win.

The World Cup began Thursday and will run until July 19. Alongside Mexico, the United States and Canada are also hosting matches in the tournament. The opener carried added significance because it was played at the iconic Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

Azteca is the stadium where Diego Maradona scored his famous “Hand of God” goal against England. With Thursday’s match, it became the first stadium ever to host three World Cup opening matches. The previous two openers there ended in draws, while this one ended in a decisive home win.

The match also made history for disciplinary reasons. The referee issued three red cards to three different players, the most ever in a World Cup opening match and the first time that has happened in a World Cup. The article ends by asking whether the tournament will eventually produce a truly surprising champion.