Raul Jimenez's Emotional Return Steals the Show as Mexico Kicks Off Campaign with Victory

Mexico can already sense the promised land of the World Cup knockout stage drawing near after launching the 2026 tournament with a dominant 2–0 victory over South Africa at the Estadio Azteca.

The structure of this expanded 48-team competition means just one additional point in the group stage should be enough for Mexico to advance from the first round for the eighth time in nine World Cups since 1994—having missed out on the knockouts in 2022.

Julián Quiñones, the 2025–26 Saudi Pro League's leading scorer (33) ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo (28), broke the deadlock inside the opening nine minutes. South Africa was reduced to 10 men, then nine, with two red card decisions sandwiching a Raúl Jiménez goal that doubled Mexico's advantage in front of 80,000 ecstatic supporters.

El Tri captain César Montes was also dismissed for the co-hosts late in the match, curiously making it three red cards in total during the 2026 World Cup's opening game—one that could hardly be described as ill-tempered. At the 2022 World Cup, just four red cards were issued across all 64 matches.

Here are Sports Illustrated's four key takeaways from Mexico's win.

World Cup History for Mexico

Italy, France, Germany, Brazil and, as of this year, the United States ... the World Cup has seen numerous two-time hosts emerge over the decades.

Yet, as the opening whistle blew, Mexico etched a small piece of World Cup history by becoming the first nation to host a match across three separate World Cup tournaments.

Previous editions—1970 and 1986—rank among the most iconic and celebrated in the near century-long history of the world's greatest sporting event, so 2026, which must be shared with two other host nations this time around, certainly has enormous expectations to meet. This was an entertaining way to kick things off.

Favorable First Opponent

South Africa arrived at the World Cup on a five-game winless run, failing to score more than once in any of those fixtures, and critically short on meaningful preparation and tests against sides from outside the African continent. Given the magnitude of the occasion and the pressure on Mexico to perform on home soil, it was very nearly the ideal opponent for them to face under the circumstances.

Bafana Bafana offered very little in terms of a genuine threat. The early opener, the fastest goal in a World Cup opening match since 2006, stemmed from a Yaya Sithole error in possession that was swiftly punished. It settled the nerves of those in green both on the pitch and in the stands, and South Africa was never truly in contention after that moment.

Ronwen Williams, who could also share some responsibility for the goal by playing a pass to a teammate oblivious to the pressure he could see approaching, was the busier of the two goalkeepers and kept the deficit manageable by halftime. When Sithole, who endured a torrid afternoon, was sent off four minutes into the second half for hauling down Brian Gutiérrez as he bore down on goal, the outcome was already sealed.

After Jiménez scored, matters deteriorated further when Themba Zwane was also shown red late on, after the VAR official flagged a potential violent conduct incident that merited a second review.

Mexico remains the frontrunner on paper for the remaining Group A fixtures against South Korea and Czechia, though both will present stiffer challenges. South Africa has been eliminated at the group stage in every prior World Cup appearance (1998, 2002, 2010), and that looks unlikely to change.

Emotional Moment for Raúl Jiménez

Raúl Jiménez is a 13-year veteran of El Tri. This was his 127th international appearance for his country, marking the occasion with his 46th goal to draw level with Jared Borgetti in second place on the all-time scoring charts.

Remarkably, after six substitute appearances spread across 2014, 2018 and 2022, this was his first World Cup start at the age of 35, and his first ever World Cup goal.

Jiménez came close to losing his career and far worse in 2020, sustaining a life-threatening fractured skull while playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League. In March of this year, his father passed away, and his 67th-minute header, which sealed Mexico's victory, was a deeply emotional moment that he dedicated to his late father.

His substitution shortly afterward was met with thunderous applause from the grateful Azteca crowd.

Mexico Fans Delighted by Gilberto Mora

Teen sensation Gilberto Mora only featured in the first of Mexico's three final pre-tournament warmup matches, so the prospect of him starting this fixture was always going to be remote.

But the jubilant reception for the 17-year-old—the youngest player at this World Cup—was overwhelming when he came on to replace Álvaro Fidalgo with 66 minutes played.

Mora had already become Mexico's youngest ever debutant last year. Pelé's record as the youngest World Cup goalscorer (17 years, 239 days), set in the 1958 quarterfinals against Wales, is beyond reach, but Mora could yet become the second-youngest scorer in World Cup history and the only player besides Pelé to find the net in the tournament before his 18th birthday.