Mexico vs South Africa LIVE: 2026 FIFA World Cup Opening Match Updates and Live Score
Mexico 1-0 South Africa: World Cup hosts cruising against Bafana Bafana
30 min: Mexico forward Gutierrez makes a good run inside the box. The ball finds him as he tries to open it up from underneath his feet. There is an option for a pass on the edge of the box but Gutierrez takes the extra touch to have a pop. That allows the defender time to recover and make the block.
34 min: South Africa's top striker Lyle Foster made a good run to the edge of the box as Hugo Broos' men string together some passes. He looks to link with his winger onrushing into the area, but it's a poor pass, rolling out of play.
36 min: Good save from Ronwen Williams! Mbokazi slides in to make a crunching tackle and stop Reyes down the right. He wins the ball before cleaning out his man. A proper challenge. Shortly after Wiliams has to be alert to get down low and pounce on a Mexican cross.
38 min: Foster misses brilliant chance! A rare chance for South Africa, their first indeed, as Mbokazi flings the ball into the box, finding Foster. He gets up between two defenders, but heads his shot wide of the post.
41 min: Williams saves South Africa again! A cross from the left and Mexico forward Raúl Jiménez gets just a glancing toe on it, guiding the ball towards the far post. As if diving in slow motion, Williams moves to his left, turning the ball away at full stretch.
45 min: Late chance for South Africa! Bafana Bafana keep it and Mbokazi strikes a shot at goal from range, but Rangel makes a comfortable stop.
Half-time: Mexico 1-0 South Africa! Mexico lead at the break.
Mexico vs South Africa: Match starts
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup opening game between Mexico and South Africa.
It's a rematch of the 2010 opener in Johannesburg, but this time, Javier Aguirre's side enters the match as favourites, ranked 14th in the FIFA rankings.
The referee, Wilton Sampaio from Brazil, gets us underway – and it is Mexico who kick off proceedings.
3 min: Mexico win an early free kick in a decent position around 30 yards out. It's taken low but fires straight into the nearest wall.
4 min: Mexico come close to breaking the deadlock! Raul Jimenez meets a pinpoint cross with a fierce volley from just outside the area, but Ronwen Williams is equal to the challenge. The South African goalkeeper reacts brilliantly, producing a stunning save to keep the score level and deny Mexico an early lead.
9 min: GOAL! Mexico take the lead, Julian Quinones has the opener!
South Africa cough up possession inside their own half and are punished by the hosts. Ronwen Wiliams plays a teammate into trouble with a pass out from the back, and he is closed down, allowing Quinones through on goal. He slams the shot home past the keeper.
13 min: Mexico 1-0 South Africa
14 min: Raul Jiménez manages to get free off a corner, earning a free header inside the box. He gets underneath it, though, timing his jump wrong and ballooning the ball over the bar.
18 min: First yellow card! A pretty obvious booking as Teboho Mokoena lunges in late on Fidalgo. The referee had little choice but to pull out the first yellow card of the match.
23 min: Mexico defender Brian Gutiérrez is shown the yellow card for a bad foul on South Africa's Teboho Mokoena.
25 min: Cooling break! South Africa’s first dangerous free kick of the game leads to little as the ball is comfortably cleared from the Mexican penalty area. With that, it is time for the first cooling break of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
