At 3:00 a.m. Beijing time today, the opening match of the 2026 USA–Canada–Mexico World Cup (Group A, Round 1) was held at Estadio Azteca, with the host Mexico defeating South Africa 2-0.


In the 9th minute, Mexico’s player Giniōnes opened the scoring first, netting the first goal of this World Cup!
In the 49th minute, Mexico broke through on a one-on-one. South Africa’s Xīsuoer committed a foul, taking down Gutiérrez outside the penalty area. Xīsuoer was shown a red card and sent off—this was also the first red card of this World Cup.
In the 67th minute, Mexico sent a cross from the right flank. Raúl Jiménez rose at the center to win the header and score, putting Mexico 2-0 ahead of South Africa.
In the 84th minute, South Africa’s substitute Zwane was shown a red card for a violent foul, leaving South Africa facing a 9-on-11 situation.
In the 2nd minute of stoppage time, Mexico’s Montes went in for a challenge just in front of the penalty area, and the referee showed him a straight red card. With that, the full-time whistle blew: Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 to claim a perfect start in the opening match of this World Cup!
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