Curse Broken: Mexico Claims First-Ever World Cup Opening Win Amid Disciplinary Circus

By Sachit Subba • Football • Jun 11, 2026 23:04 PM • 373 views

The smoke from the opening ceremony still hung in the air when tension quickly rose inside the Azteca.

Mexico kicked off its World Cup on Thursday with a 2-0 win over a struggling South Africa. But the score didn’t tell the whole story. This match marked the start of the new, expanded 48-team era. Tactics faded into the background as three red cards dominated the day's memories: two issued to South Africa, one to Mexico.

Outside, Mexico City was tense with protests that nearly shut it down. Fans rushed to the gates hours before kickoff to make sure they didn’t miss the match. Inside, Shakira and Burna Boy energised the crowd, bringing the stadium to life. When the match began, Mexico proved its dominance at this historic football ground. Ez tested South African keeper Ronwen Williams. The breakthrough came next. Sphephelo Sithole lost focus on the edge of his box. Erik Lira—surprise starter over captain Edson Alvarez—stole the ball. One quick pass to Julian Quinones, a sharp move inside, and a low shot past Williams. 1-0. The Azteca roared.

South Africa spent the rest of the half clinging on for dear life.

Then came the ugly turn. Early in the second half, Brian Gutierrez went on a marauding run. Sphephelo Sithole, desperate and out of position, fouled him from behind, resulting in a straight red card for Sithole—South Africa’s first sending off of the match.

For a moment, the home crowd grew restless. Playing against 10 men, El Tri started coasting. But Jimenez killed the tension midway through the half, rising high to bury a powerful downward header off a devilish cross from Roberto Alvarado. It was Jimenez’s first-ever World Cup goal. A lifetime achievement.

But the real story was the disciplinary meltdown that followed.

South Africa’s Themba Zwane was sent off next after a VAR check caught his arm in an opponent’s face, leaving his team with nine men. Later, Mexico’s Cesar Montes received a red card in stoppage time for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, reducing Mexico to ten players.

It was a day of strange milestones. The first opening match to feature three red cards. But it was also Mexico’s first-ever victory in a tournament opener after seven previous, heartbreaking failures. They finally broke the curse of 2010, when this exact same fixture in Johannesburg ended in a drab stalemate.

The Azteca has seen many famous moments—Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ in '86 and Pelé’s great Brazil in '70. Thursday night lacked its beauty. It was rough, tense, and aggressive.

But to the thousands of fans supporting Mexico in the stands, none of that mattered. A win is a win, and leaving Group A now seems much easier.