World Cup: Mexico defeats South Africa in game marred by 3 red cards

MEXICO CITY — FIFA president Gianni Infantino described Mexico City Stadium as a venue “blessed by the gods” and a “true cathedral of soccer.”

Azteca Stadium, as most people know it, is steeped in soccer history and is now the only venue to host three World Cup opening ceremonies. But the Mexican national team had never much World Cup success at the venue.

On Thursday, spurred on by most of the 80,824 fans in attendance and forwards Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez, Mexico managed to defeat South Africa 2-0 and securing its first opening match victory.

Mexico 2, South Africa 0, final

After Mexico powered through a foul on Edson Alvarez, El Tri got sloppy.

Cesar Montes was hit with a red card.

Both teams managed to avoid further setbacks for the final six minutes, and Mexico escaped with an uneven win.

Mexico 2, South Africa 0, 81st minute

In the 79th minute, the crowd cheered for attacking hero Julian Quinones, who was replaced by Alexis Vega.

South Africa’s Oswin Appollis took shot a shot in the 81st minute that was saved by Raul Rangel.

Then things really fell apart for South Africa.

Roberto Alvarado fell to the pitch during a collision. While Alvarado was treated, the crowd sang “Mexico Lindo y Querido.” VAR was used to review the play and it was clear Themba Zwane grabbed and threw Alvarado to the ground. The refs gave him a red card and he was sent off.

South Africa is down to nine men.

Mexico 2, South Africa 0, 77th minute

South Africa’s Nikosinathi Sibisi was hit with a yellow card in the 74th minute after fouling Julián Quiñones.

Mexico, however, fouled on the ensuing set piece, and the ball was awarded to South Africa on the defensive end.

Mexico captain Edson Alvarez received a big ovation when he replaced Erik Lara in the 76th minute. Armando Gonzalez also replaced Raul Jimenez.

South Africa went sent on Evidence Makgopa to replace Iqraam Rayners and Oswin Appollis replaced Aubrey Modiba.

Mexico 2, South Africa 0, 67th minute

A series of substitutions were made in the 61st and 66th minutes as fans grew restless and started to boo the Mexican side.

Themba Zwane replaced Jayden Adams for South Africa, and Gilberto Mora replaced Alvaro Fidalgo.

The Mexican players won over the crowd with another emotional goal.

Roberto Alvarado fired a cross and Raul Jimenez scored on a header, bursting into tears as the stadium erupted.

In the 69th minute, both teams took their second water break.

Mexico 1, South Africa 0, 58th minute

Thalente Mbatha replaced Lyle Foster for Mexico.

Right afterward, Aubrey Modiba fouled Erik Lira. Israel Reyes missed the header on the ensuing set piece.

Mexico 1, South Africa 0, 52nd minute

Sphephelo Sithole clipped Erick Gutierrez as he had a clear path in the box charging toward the goal. Sithole was hit with a red card and sent off after a review.

Mexico fumbled the favorable free kick opportunity, hitting the ball into the wall ,and Jesús Gallardo shanked the rebound wide left.

It was still a costly sequence, with South Africa forced to play with 10 men for the remainder of the match.

We may see South Africa park the bus on defense to try to avoid giving up too many goals, which would harm the team’s chances of getting out of the group stage.

Mexico 1, South Africa 0, 48th minute

Brian Gutiérrez took a shot that was off target, then Julián Quiñones took a shot from more than 35 yards out that was saved by Ronwen Williams.

Mexico 1, South Africa 0, halftime

The crowd seems a little disappointed Mexico has not scored more goals against a vulnerable South African defense. El Tri’s lineup isn’t known for dynamic scoring, however, so the goal differential isn’t shocking. There were chances, though, to score more and that surely has led to some frustration.

Mexico 1, South Africa 0, 45th minute + 4 minutes

Mexico’s Brian Gutiérrez had a decent look at South Africa’s goal, but his shot from the center of the box was off target.

Mexico 1, South Africa 0, 45th minute

Mbekezeli Mbokazi fired a left-footed shot form outside the box, but it was saved by Mexico’s Raúl Rangel.

Four minutes of stoppage time was added.

Mexico 1, South Africa 0, 42nd minute

Raúl Jiménez’s shot was turned away by the South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, but Mexico managed to regain possession and built up for another shot on goal.

Julián Quiñones quickly got a another chance in the box, but his shot hit the right post and bounced out. South Africa finally cleared the danger.

Mexico 1, South Africa 0, 37th minute

South Africa took its first shot. Lyle Foster’s header sailed wide.

Mexico 1, South Africa 0, 27th minute

Hydration break!

The World Cup has adopted the water breaks throughout the tournament, a move that has offended some purists.

South Africa had some minor build up and the water break did break some of its momentum.

Mexico 1, South Africa 0, 23rd minute

Brian Gutiérrez was called for a yellow card, but Mexican goalkeeper Raúl Rangel had no trouble turning away a weak free kick by a frustrated South Africa side.

Mexico 1, South Africa 0, 21st minute

Roberto Alvarado started a run but faced pressure before getting the ball to Julián Quiñones, who got another shot at goal, but it sailed wide right.

Mexico 1, South Africa 0, 17th minute

Teboho Fidalgo was called for the tournament’s first yellow card, hitting Álvaro Fidalgo and going nowhere near the ball.

Reporter Joaquin Ruiz captured euphoria at the Coliseum watch party in downtown Los Angeles after Mexico scored the first goal of the World Cup.

Mexico 1, South Africa 0, 9th minute

Raúl Jiménez’s shot at close range was blocked by South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams in the fifth minute, a strong effort in front of a hostile crowd.

But Williams let his guard down in the ninth minute, offering a sloppy pass Erik Lira picked off and fed to Julián Quiñones, buried the first goal of the World Cup through Williams’ legs.

The stadium erupted.

Mexico 0, South Africa 0, first minute of first half

The crowd chanted down to zero before Mexico and South Africa opened the 2026 World Cup.

The only lineup question entering the match was who would start at goalkeeper for Mexico.

El Tri coach Javier Aguirre went with Raúl Rangel, who had started friendlies leading up to the World, over veteran Guillermo Ochoa, who some suggested could cool nerves while making his sixth World Cup appearance against a relatively weaker team.

Fox Sports provides a look at Mexico and South Africa in the tunnels preparing to enter a rowdy stadium to kick off the 2026 World Cup.

World Cup Day got off to an early start. By 7 a.m., thousands of people were already streaming through the streets of Tlalpan toward the Mexico City Stadium. Two hours later, the area around the “Colossus of Santa Úrsula” was overflowing with fans who had arrived from all corners of the country and abroad.

Some arrived with their dogs dressed in Mexican national team jerseys, while others brought trumpets and luchador masks.

Pedro Rosete Montiel, who lived in Orange County for 32 years, returned two years ago to his native Tlaxcala. Today he came to celebrate his 63rd birthday at the stadium.

“I worked hard in the United States, and we’re returning to where we were born,” said Rosete Montiel, who attended with his son thanks to a birthday ticket.

Fans arrived hours in advance, following recommendations to be at the stadium very early so as not to miss the opening ceremony.

The security perimeter established by the Secretariat of Public Safety (SSC) around the stadium consisted of a vehicle access control zone with a radius of up to one mile, officially designated as Operation “Last Mile.” Fans and journalists were able to see the protesters before that final stretch to the stadium.

Mexican actor Salma Hayek took center stage at Mexico City Stadium to introduce the flags of the countries participating in the 2026 World Cup.

She then joined FIFA President Gianni Infantino showing off the World Cup trophy from a perch.

The Los Angeles Organizing Committee has collaborated with an array of agencies to create one primary fan festival and 10 official fan zones throughout the L.A. area during the 39-day World Cup.

Match broadcasts there will be available via Fox and Telemundo, allowing attendees to follow the tournament live throughout the competition. Each venue will have different programming.

Here’s the watch party schedule:

FIFA Fan Festival at the Coliseum: Thursday-Sunday

The Coliseum will host a festival that includes live match broadcasts on big screens, music, cultural programming, interactive experiences and food. Tickets are $10, with free admission for children ages 12 and under. The box office will be open during the festival at Gate 29. Fans with tickets can enter through gates 1, 4 and 28. A clear bag policy will be enforced during the festival. The event will be cashless, with only credit cards, debit cards or mobile pay accepted. For more event details, visit lacoliseum.com.

Mexican midfielder Edson Álvarez underwent surgery on his left ankle after getting injured during a match with his club team, Fenerbahce, last February. It kept him sidelined from both his Turkish squad and the Mexican national team.

At times, his participation in this summer’s World Cup was in jeopardy.

But thanks to his resilience, Álvarez will be Mexico’s captain as he plays in his third World Cup. He is one of the key leaders of coach Javier Aguirre’s team that will aim to reach at least the quarterfinals — a feat that has eluded El Tri in the last eight World Cups.

MEXICO CITY — The star-studded opening ceremony for the 2026 World Cup will unfold Thursday afternoon in Mexico City.

The Mexican capital joins Guadalajara as the only cities to host games during three editions of the World Cup. Shakira will headline the pre-match spectacle alongside Mexican music stars Alejandro Fernández and Los Ángeles Azules.

Fans who paid thousands of dollars for tickets will then cheer on the Mexican team as it faces South Africa at Azteca Stadium, opening an ambitious tournament co-hosted by three countries.

A few hours after Lionel Messi and the Argentine World Cup team checked into their training base in Kansas City, a series of thunderstorms pounded the area, knocking out power, felling trees and bringing flood and tornado warnings.

Hardly ideal conditions for the world’s biggest soccer tournament. Yet that’s likely just the opening salvo of a disruptive weather system that could affect the 38-day competition, which kicks off next week with games in Mexico, Canada and the U.S.

“It’s pretty safe to say climate change is going to have a mark on this World Cup,” said Kaitlyn Trudeau, a senior research associate of climate science for Sacramento-based Climate Central. “With climate change we know it’s not just going to be hotter, but it’s also going to increase the humidity as well.”

In 1986, when Mexico became the first country to ever host the FIFA World Cup a second time, actor and director Diego Luna was only 6 years old. The year before, his hometown of Mexico City had been ravaged by a massive earthquake. That the World Cup happened at all in a nation recovering from such destruction seemed miraculous to a young Luna.

“It felt as though it wouldn’t happen. It was impossible given the magnitude of the disaster,” Luna, now 46, recalls in Spanish during a recent video interview. “And then when it did happen, you could witness what a balm it was for the people of Mexico City to host the opening ceremony, to welcome so many people from around the globe, and to receive such an outpouring of affection.”

MEXICO CITY — The Mexican national team will kick off the 2026 World Cup against South Africa on Thursday with the weight of entertaining 83,000 at iconic Azteca Stadium and soccer fans around the globe.

The match at the venue known as Mexico City Stadium during the World Cup will kick off at noon PDT and air on Fox and Telemundo.

Once the ball starts rolling, the stadium’s altitude — 7,216 feet above sea level — will be one of the biggest assets for the Mexican lineup led by coach Javier Aguirre.

Julian Ryerson hadn’t learned to walk the last time Norway played in the World Cup. He was just 7 months old then, and if he had known his country was going to go 0 for the 21st century when it came to World Cup qualifying, he might have considered pursuing a sport other than soccer.

But that drought will finally end next week when Norway plays in the World Cup for the first time in nearly three decades.

“It’s been a long wait, especially for the Norwegian people,” he said. “They’ve been waiting as long as I am old. So yeah, I think everybody’s ready.”

Times reporter Kevin Baxter and Times en Español reporters Eduard Cauich and Jad El Reda help readers prepare for the World Cup.

You have attended many World Cups in your careers. What advice do you have for fans attending for the first time?

Baxter: Don’t treat it like just another sporting event because it’s not. This is not a World Series or even a Super Bowl. It’s the world’s Super Bowl. So drink in the passion, enjoy the international flavor. Get there early and stay late because it will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Cauich: Watch every game somewhere with other people: at a bar, a viewing party or surrounded by family. Yes, tickets are expensive, but there are plenty of places to catch the action for free alongside fellow fans. For me, that’s always been the point. These are the moments that stay with you for a long time.

History tends to repeat itself at the World Cup. Such is the case with Mexico and South Africa, two teams that will face off in the World Cup opening match for the second time in history, just as they did in Johannesburg on June 11, 2010. The score that night was 1-1.

Many still remember Siphiwe Tshabalala and his powerful shot into the top corner that beat Mexican goalkeeper Óscar Pérez, and a celebration that remains etched in the collective memory of the soccer world. Unfortunately for the South African team that night, Rafa Márquez equalized for El Tri with 11 minutes remaining during what turned out to be a disappointing World Cup for the host nation.

MEXICO CITY — On the eve of the World Cup kickoff, FIFA President Gianni Infantino called for patience in the face of a series of crises that threaten to overshadow the start of the tournament, led by the case of Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was denied entry into the United States.

On Thursday, Mexico faces South Africa at the Mexico City Stadium, kicking off the 38-day tournament with matches in Mexico, the United States and Canada . The run-up to the global spectacle has been marked by controversy, including the U.S. denial of participant and fan visas and high ticket prices that have triggered attorney general inquiries in the United States.

After a break of more than three decades, the FIFA World Cup returns to North America where it will be shared by the continent’s three countries, the U.S., Mexico and Canada. It will be the largest and most complex tournament in history, with 48 teams playing 104 games in 16 cities over 39 days.

But it hasn’t been without its controversies. High ticket prices and exorbitant transportation and parking fees have angered fans and drawn the attention of politicians and state attorneys general. Visa restrictions have blocked residents from four qualifying nations from entering the U.S. and fear of immigration agents has discouraged fans of other countries from coming.

For the U.S. and Mexico the goal is to get beyond the quarterfinals, the high-water mark for both countries in the modern era. Canada, meanwhile, will play in its third World Cup looking for its first win.

Group A

The tournament will kick off with Mexico facing South Africa in Mexico City on June 11, a rematch of the 2010 opener in Johannesburg, which was played on the same date 16 years earlier. That match ended in a draw, and South Africa went on to become the first host country to be eliminated in the group stage. With Mexico welcoming the World Cup for a record third time alongside South Africa and South Korea (2002), this is the only group with three former host countries.