The 2026 World Cup kicks off in Mexico City

The 2026 World Cup kicks off in Mexico City tonight when one of the North American co-hosts, Mexico take on South Africa after the opening ceremony.

Sixteen years ago, it was South Africa hosting El Tri in Johannesburg, treated to that unforgettable Siphiwe Tshabalala thunderbolt before a late equaliser from Rafael Márquez — who happens to be back on the bench today as assistant to Javier Aguirre. This time, the intimidating, high-altitude cauldron of the Estadio Azteca plays host, giving Mexico a colossal home advantage.

World Cup openers are notoriously cagey, tense affairs where the fear of losing the opening match overrides the desire to stream forward. However, the combination of a partisan capacity crowd and the brutal Mexico City altitude should slowly choke out South Africa's pressing game in the second half.

Team News & Tactics

Mexico: Javier Aguirre has whipped El Tri into formidable shape. Unbeaten in their last eight games and fresh off a 5-1 dismantling of Serbia, they operate in a defensively disciplined yet expansive 4-3-3 system. Captain Edson Álvarez anchors the defensive unit, while the attacking thrust will be led by the veteran Raul Jiménez and the in-form Julian Quiñones.

Expect Mexico to use the wide areas aggressively, overlapping full-backs to stretch the South African shape while using their familiarity with the 2,200-metre altitude to wear the visitors down. 

South Africa: Hugo Broos has constructed an incredibly resilient Bafana Bafana side built on collective cohesion rather than individual superstars. They will likely set up in a compact 4-2-3-1 deep block, looking to survive the early emotional onslaught from the home crowd.

Left-back Aubrey Modiba has shrugged off a hamstring issue to start, and Premier League-experienced forward Lyle Foster will act as the crucial focal point upfront, tasked with holding up the ball to trigger quick counter-attacks via wide-man Oswin Appollis.

Thursday 11 June 2026

20:00 Mexico v South Africa in Group A — ITV 1

 

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