Under the command of experienced coach Javier Aguirre, 67, the Mexico national team plays this Thursday (11) the opening game of the 2026 World Cup against South Africa, in a repeat of the 2010 World Cup, hosted by the African country, when the two teams were also responsible for the kickoff.
In the duel 16 years ago, at the Soccer City Stadium, in Johannesburg, the teams were tied 1-1.
The second meeting between the two teams in editions of the World Cup is scheduled to start at 4pm (Brasília time), right after the opening ceremony, at the mythical Azteca Stadium, in Mexico City.
It will be the third time that the arena opened in 1966 hosts the first game of the World Cup, after the 1970 and 1986 editions, when it was also the venue for the final.
The first time it hosted the competition, 56 years ago, Mexico achieved one of its best results in seven participations, advancing to the quarterfinals. It stopped only against runner-up Italy, defeated in the decision by the Brazilian team of Pelé and company.
The second time it hosted the World Cup, Mexico once again reached the quarterfinals, being eliminated this time by West Germany, again the runner-up in the tournament that year, defeated in the final by Maradona’s Argentina.
Playing the three group stage matches on their territory — amid protests against President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government —, the Mexican team should be able to count on the massive support of the fans to try to leave behind Qatar’s poor campaign in 2022, when they fell in the group stage.
It was the first time that the Mexicans did not advance to the knockout stages since the Argentine Cup in 1978.
Qualified directly for being one of the host countries, alongside the United States and Canada, Mexico arrives at the tournament excited, still not knowing what it’s like to lose in 2026.
In eight friendlies played during the year, there were two draws —with the strong teams of Portugal and Belgium— and six wins. In the last match, on June 4th, they scored 5-1 in Serbia.
The team’s main name is striker Santiago Giménez, 25, who left Feyenoord for Milan at the beginning of last year in a deal worth €30 million (R$180 million).
Defender Edson Álvarez, 28, from Fenerbahçe, is the captain and the team’s main leader on the field.
In goal, the experienced Guillermo Ochoa, 40, is heading to his sixth World Cup, a record number of appearances in the tournament, alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
South Africa, in turn, returns to participate in its fourth World Cup, after its last appearance in 2010.
In the three times he competed in the competition — he also qualified in 1998 and 2002 —, he failed to advance beyond the group stage. In nine games played across three appearances, they accumulated three defeats, four draws and just two wins — over Slovenia and France.
Having spent time with the Cameroon national team, Belgian coach Hugo Broos took charge in mid-2021, after the team failed to qualify for the African Cup of Nations.
Since then, the team has improved its results on the field, placing third in the 2024 African Cup and leading its group in the World Cup qualifiers, leaving Nigeria behind.
Mamelodi Sundowns, a South African team that competed in the Club World Cup, is the base of the African team, including goalkeeper and captain Ronwen Williams, 34, and midfielder Teboho Mokoena, 29, a standout midfield player.
The main name playing in European football is striker Lyle Foster, 25, from Burnley, in the Premier League.
Asians x Europeans in the 2nd group game
Later, at 11pm, in Guadalajara, South Korea and the Czech Republic will play the second duel in Group A.
The South Koreans reach their 11th consecutive participation under the leadership of striker Son Heung-min, 33, from Los Angeles FC, who can stand alone as the team’s top scorer in the tournament — today he shares the top of the list with Ahn Jung-hwan, already retired, with three goals each.
The team also has defender Kim Min-jae, 29, from Bayern Munich, and winger Lee Kang-in, 25, from PSG (Paris Saint-Germain), among the main players in the squad available to coach Hong Myungbo, 57 — who holds the record for appearances for the national team in World Cups, with 16 matches played between the 1990 and 2002 editions.
South Korea’s best campaign was in 2002, when it was one of the hosts, along with Japan. It advanced to the semi-finals, leaving Italy and Spain along the way. They stopped against Germany and ended up being surpassed by Türkiye in the dispute for third place.
The Czech Republic had an arduous path to returning to a World Cup after their last participation in 2006.
Second in its group in the Qualifiers, behind Croatia, the Eastern European country had to go through the European play-offs, beating Ireland and Denmark in the penalty shootout.
The team recently changed command and has been led since December 2025 by coach Miroslav Koubek, 74, a former goalkeeper who succeeded Ivan Hasek after a surprising defeat to the Faroe Islands.
The big name in the squad is center forward Patrik Schick, 30, from Bayern Leverkusen, the Czech Republic’s top scorer in the Qualifiers, with five goals in eight games.
The country’s best campaign was in the 1934 and 1962 editions, when it was still called Czechoslovakia, finishing runner-up — it lost the final to Italy and Brazil, respectively.
