At the 2010 FIFA World Cup – the first on African soil – hosts South Africa faced Mexico in the tournament’s opening match, playing out a 1-1 draw.

On Thursday, the teams meet again at the same stage. This time, cohosts Mexico welcome South Africa, as the much-awaited 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in North America.

With 80,000 fans expected to pack the prestigious Estadio Azteca, the opener promises to be an incredible spectacle.

The biggest-ever World Cup’s curtain raiser

Thursday’s match in Mexico City will mark the start of a 39-day tournament, featuring 104 games – 40 more than in the last edition in Qatar 2022.

With an expanded participation pool of 48 teams, the 2026 World Cup is the biggest in the sport’s history, and the first to be held in three countries: the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Exactly 90 minutes before kickoff, an opening ceremony will take place, headlined by four-time Grammy-winning superstar Shakira, while Colombian singer J Balvin and South African singer-songwriter Tyla will also feature among the cast of performers.

Cohosts Mexico face home pressure to deliver

The football-crazy nation of Mexico is no stranger to a World Cup. El Tri are gearing up for a whopping 17th appearance at the finals.

While hosting the opening match of the tournament is huge in itself, to make things more special, the gigantic Estadio Azteca is set to make history as the first stadium to host three FIFA World Cup opening matches (1970, 1986 and 2026).

Home advantage and a higher FIFA ranking make Mexico the favourites in this match, but with more than 80,000 attendees expected, the cohosts find themselves under pressure to deliver the winning start their fans expect.

Mexico are unbeaten in their last eight matches, equalling the ‌longest unbeaten run they have taken into a World Cup and providing further encouragement for Javier Aguirre’s side before the tournament.

Don’t write off underdogs South Africa

At number 60 in the FIFA rankings, South Africa are far below 14th-ranked Mexico. But Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos believes his side is more than capable of pulling off an upset.

Unlike Mexico, who are near-regulars at the World Cup, South Africa are back on the global stage after a 16-year absence in what will be just their fourth appearance.

“For us, it will be a fantastic experience,” Broos told reporters before the opening game.

“It is very important that we keep ourselves to the ⁠game plan and don’t listen to what is happening ⁠in the stands.”

South Africa’s preparations were disrupted by visa issues that delayed the arrival of several members of the travelling party, costing them valuable time to acclimatise to conditions in central Mexico.

Yet Broos’s side emerged from a difficult ‌qualifying campaign and will hope to frustrate the hosts once again.

How does the World Cup group stage work?

Mexico, South Africa, Czechia and South Korea are in Group A.

The top two teams from each of the 12 groups – along with the eight best third-placed teams – proceed to the next phase, the round of 32, which has been introduced at the World Cup for the first time.

Mexico lead head-to-head record against South Africa

Thursday’s game will be only the fifth meeting between the teams.

Mexico have won twice, South Africa have won once, while one encounter ended in a draw.

Their last meeting was the aforementioned 2010 World Cup opening match, in which Siphiwe Tshabalala’s sensational opening strike was cancelled out by Rafael Marquez’s equaliser, as the teams settled for a 1-1 draw in front of an 84,490-strong crowd in Johannesburg.

Mexico head into the World Cup opener on the back of three consecutive friendly wins against fellow tournament-bound teams Ghana and Australia, as well as Serbia.

But South Africa were left frustrated with their performance in the build-up to the tournament, going winless in their last three friendlies – Bafana Bafana drew with Jamaica and Nicaragua and lost to Panama.

How to watch Mexico vs South Africa?

Fans in Mexico can watch the game on TUDN, Canal 5, Canal 9, Las Estrellas and Vix, with kickoff scheduled for 1pm.

South Africans can catch the action live on SuperSport, SportyTV and New World TV. Kickoff is at 9pm.

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch it on ITV, while those in the US can tune in to Fox.

To find the World Cup match kickoffs in your timezone, click here.

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Mexico’s predicted starting XI

Raul Rangel; Jesus Gallardo, Johan Vasquez, Cesar Montes, Israel Reyes; Brian Gutierrez, Erik Lira, Alvaro Fidalgo; Julian Quinones, Roberto Alvarado, Raul Jimenez

South Africa’s predicted starting XI

Ronwen Williams; Khuliso Mudau, Ime Okon, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Aubrey Modiba; Teboho Mokoena, Sphephelo Sithole, Thalente Mbatha; Tshepang Moremi, Lyle Foster, Oswin Appolli

(Aljazeera)

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