Four Takeaways As Emotional Raul Jimenez Moment Marks Mexico’s Opening Win

Mexico can already see the promised land of the World Cup knockout phase coming into view after opening the 2026 tournament with a comprehensive 2–0 win against South Africa at the Estadio Azteca.

The format of this expanded 48-team tournaments ought to mean only one more point in the group stage is enough for Mexico to progress from the first round for the eighth time in nine World Cups since 1994—it missed out on the knockouts in 2022.

Julián Quiñones, the 2025–26 Saudi Pro League’s top scorer (33) ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo (28), got the breakthrough goal in the first nine minutes. South Africa was reduced to 10 players, then nine, two red card calls between which Raúl Jiménez doubled the Mexico lead in front of 80,000 delirious fans.

El Tri captain César Montes was also sent off for the co-hosts late on, strangely making it three red cards overall in the 2026 World Cup’s first match, one that could hardly be considered bad tempered. At the 2022 World Cup, only four red cards were shown across all 64 games.

Here are Sports Illustrated’s four key takeaways from Mexico’s victory.

World Cup History for Mexico

Mexico vs West Germany — Mexico hosted the World Cup in 1986, facing West Germany in the quarterfinals in Monterrey. | STAFF/AFP/Getty Images

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

But, as the opening whistle sounded, Mexico made a little piece of World Cup history by becoming the first country to host a match in a third different World Cup tournament.

Past editions—1970, 1986—are among the most iconic and revered in the near century-long history of the most celebrated sporting event on the planet, so 2026, which has to be shared with two other hosts this time, certainly has a lot to live up to. This was a fun way to start.

Favorable First Opponent

South Africa players — South Africa was no match for Mexico. | Yuri CORTEZ/AFP/Getty Images

South Africa came into the World Cup on a five-match winless streak, failing to score more than once in any of those games, and severely lacking in meaningful practice and tests against teams from outside Africa. Given the enormity of the occasion and the pressure on the Mexicans to deliver on home turf, it was pretty much the perfect team for them to face in the circumstances.

Bafana Bafana offered very little in the way of a challenge. The early first goal, the fastest in a World Cup opening match since 2006, was the result of a mistake on the ball from Yaya Sithole, which was quickly capitalized on. It eased the nerves of those wearing green both on the field and in the stands, and South Africa was never really in the game after that point.

Ronwen Williams, who could also take some blame for the goal by passing to a player blind to pressure that he could see coming, was the busier goalkeeper and kept the scoreline down by halftime. When Sithole, who had a nightmarish day, was sent off four minutes into the second half for bringing down Brian Gutiérrez through on goal, it was already done.

After Jiménez scored, things only got worse when Themba Zwane also saw red towards the end, after the VAR official picked up a potential violent conduct offense that warranted a second look.

Mexico remains the favorite on paper for the next Group A matches against South Korea and Czechia, although both will be tougher. South Africa has exited at the first round in every previous World Cup appearance (1998, 2002, 2010), and that feels unlikely to change.

Emotional Moment for Raúl Jiménez

Raúl Jiménez is a 13-year veteran of El Tri. This was his 127th cap for his country, marking the occassion with his 46th goal to move level with Jared Borgetti, second on the all-time top scorers list.

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

Jiménez almost lost his career and worse in 2020, suffering a life-threatening fractured skull while playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League. In March of this year, the player’s father passed away, and his 67th-minute header, which made sure of Mexico’s victory, was an emotionally charged moment that he dedicated to his late dad.

His withdrawal not long after was greeted by rapturous applause from the appreciative Azteca crowd.

Mexico Fans Delighted by Gilberto Mora

Teen prodigy Gilberto Mora only started the first of Mexico’s three final warmup matches, so the likelihood of him starting this one was always going to be slim.

But the joyous reception for the 17-year-old—the youngest player at this World Cup—was substantial when he replaced Álvaro Fidalgo with 66 minutes on the clock.

Mora already became Mexico’s youngest debutant last year. Pelé’s record as the youngest World Cup goalscorer (17 years, 239 days), set in the 1958 quarterfinals against Wales, is not possible to break, but Mora could yet become the second-youngest goalscorer in World Cup history and the only other than Pelé to find the net in the tournament before turning 18.

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