MEXICO CITY — The 2026 FIFA World Cup is officially underway, and it kicked off with a match that delivered everything: hometown glory, deep emotion, and a staggering amount of disciplinary chaos. Host nation Mexico comfortably dispatched South Africa 2-0 in front of an electric crowd of 80,000 at the iconic Estadio Azteca, though the headlines will likely be shared between the brilliant goals and the three straight red cards shown during the Group A clash.
Mexico wasted no time giving the raucous home crowd exactly what they wanted. Julián Quiñones etched his name into the history books by scoring the opening goal of the 2026 World Cup just eight minutes into the match, squeezing a shot through the goalkeeper’s legs to set the Azteca alight.
In the 66th minute, the roof nearly blew off the stadium when veteran striker Raúl Jiménez doubled El Tri’s lead. It was a deeply poignant moment for Jiménez, who secured his first-ever World Cup goal on his fourth tournament appearance.
“Very emotional for Raúl Jiménez,” observed former England striker Ian Wright on ITV. “When he scores the goal, as he runs off, you can see the realization, and that is where the emotion comes.”
Former defender Gary Neville echoed the sentiment, noting the gravity of the stage: “That is likely to be the greatest moment of his life from a football perspective, scoring in front of 80,000 in that stadium, in his home country. It is a great moment for him.”
While Mexico celebrated a dream start in their own backyard, South Africa suffered a nightmare. The Bafana Bafana completely unraveled in the second half, earning two straight red cards that killed any hope of a comeback. Yaya Sithole was sent off in the 49th minute, and veteran substitute Themba Zwane was given his marching orders in the 83rd minute, drastically reducing South Africa to nine men.
Former South Africa midfielder Dean Furman did not mince words regarding his former side’s performance. “To lose someone like Themba Zwane—he’s the experienced member of the team, the one who’s going to come on if a game’s tight and add a little bit of quality—but South Africa were just miles off it,” Furman told BBC Radio 5 Live. “There’s really not one player on that pitch in a yellow shirt who can hold their hands up and say they did themselves justice, unfortunately.”
BBC pundit Chris Sutton agreed, pointing out that Mexico was simply “a cut above a sorry South Africa team who really struggled.”
However, the refereeing took center stage in the dying moments of the game. In the 93rd minute, Mexican defender César Montes was shown a straight red card for denying a goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO), bringing the match total to three red cards. It marked the first World Cup game to feature three straight red cards since South Africa played Denmark in 1998.
The decision to send off Montes was met with fierce backlash from fans and pundits alike, who felt the challenge occurred too far wide to be considered a genuine goal-scoring threat. Pundits Ally McCoist and Chris Sutton both called the decision “harsh,” while enraged fans flooded social media, criticizing the standard of officiating as “utterly dreadful.”
Despite the controversy, ITV Sport Referee Analyst Christina Unkel defended the call’s permanence, noting, “This is not a clear and obvious error to overturn the referee decision. The red card for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity will stand.”
Ultimately, the late drama did nothing to dampen the spirits of the home fans. El Tri secured the vital three points they needed to build national momentum, setting a triumphant, if tumultuous, tone for the month of football ahead.
