Mexico - South Africa: score, highlights and statistics

Mexico face South Africa on 11 June 2026 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City in the opening match of Group A of the FIFA World Cup - exactly 16 years after these two sides kicked off the 2010 tournament together in Johannesburg with a 1-1 draw.

Match Info: Mexico vs South Africa

The match takes place on Thursday, 11 June 2026, at 20:00 BST at the legendary Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. It serves as the opening fixture of Group A and the very first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Where to Watch Mexico vs South Africa?

Viewers in England can watch the World Cup opener on free-to-air television via ITV 1 UK, with a simultaneous online stream on ITVX. ITV holds the broadcast rights for the 2026 World Cup in the United Kingdom, meaning no subscription is required to watch this historic fixture.

In the United States, the match is available on FOX in English and on Telemundo in Spanish on television. Online viewers in the US can stream through Peacock, Fubo TV, Foxsports.com, Tubi, and Telemundo Deportes En Vivo - Spanish-language radio coverage is also available on Futbol de Primera Radio.

Viewers in Australia can catch the action on SBS TV or stream via SBS On Demand. In Canada, TSN+ carries the broadcast online. New Zealand fans can watch on TVNZ or stream on TVNZ+. In Italy, the match airs on Rai 1 with streaming on Rai Play or DAZN Italia, while in Portugal it is on Sport TV1 and Sport TV Multiscreen.

Mexico vs South Africa - Match Preview

Mexico host South Africa in the opening match of Group A and the first fixture of the entire 2026 FIFA World Cup - a tournament that returns to the Azteca for the first time since 1986, and a fixture that directly mirrors the opening game of the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg.

The symmetry is loaded with meaning. Mexico, playing their first World Cup on home soil as co-hosts, carry the pressure of a nation that has exited at the round of 16 in 7 consecutive tournaments. Manager Javier Aguirre - in his third spell with El Tri - restored belief with back-to-back CONCACAF titles and a tactical structure built around a disciplined 4-3-3. Raúl Jiménez, at 34, remains the most reliable attacking option, and the centre-back pairing of Montes and Vásquez gives the side defensive solidity. Before 80,000 fans at Azteca, Mexico are the firm favourites to win this group opener.

South Africa arrive as the more uncertain quantity. Hugo Broos, the 74-year-old Belgian who guided Bafana Bafana through CAF qualifying above Nigeria, has built a 4-3-2-1 system that relies on Oswin Appollis and Bongokuhle Hlongwane for pace on the wings and Teboho Mokoena as the midfield pivot. The question throughout the spring has been clinical finishing - South Africa drew 0-0 with Nicaragua in their last pre-tournament match, and Lyle Foster has consistently missed chances that would prove costly at this level.

Head-to-Head: Mexico vs South Africa

Mexico and South Africa have met officially just once - in the opening game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Johannesburg, where a 1-1 draw set the tone for a tournament that changed world football. Now, 16 years later, they meet again to open another World Cup, this time in Mexico City.

The only known official head-to-head meeting between the two nations is:

• 11 June 2010 - FIFA World Cup (Johannesburg) - South Africa 1:1 Mexico

Mexico - Recent Form

Mexico head into the 2026 World Cup with 3 wins, 2 draws, and 0 defeats across their last 5 matches, scoring 8 goals and conceding just 1.

The momentum entering the tournament is clear. Mexico beat Australia 1-0 at the end of May, dispatched Ghana 2-0 a week earlier, and hammered Iceland 4-0 in February. Three wins against respectable opposition, with the attack firing and the defence barely tested - exactly what a co-host wants ahead of a tournament-opening home match.

The March window added texture: a 0-0 draw against Portugal at the reopened Azteca, played without several first-choice players including striker Santiago Giménez, and a 1-1 draw with Belgium in Chicago where Jorge Eduardo Sánchez scored from a corner rebound. Aguirre described camp morale as positive, and the evidence on the pitch backed him up.

South Africa - Recent Form

South Africa bring a record of 1 win, 2 draws, and 2 defeats from their last 5 matches into the tournament, with 6 goals scored and 7 conceded.

The spring results were a mixed picture. A 3-2 win in Zimbabwe in December 2025 showed Bafana Bafana can produce results away from home, but back-to-back matches against Panama in March told a different story: a 1-1 draw in the first game, then a 1-2 defeat in the second, where Mbekezeli Mbokazi's brilliant long-range goal was cancelled out by a late conceded header. Foster and Hlongwane both missed clear chances against Panama that a World Cup contender would be expected to convert.

The most recent match - a 0-0 draw with Nicaragua in May - underlined the concern. South Africa created openings but finished the game without a goal, heading to Mexico City with questions about attacking efficiency that a defence-minded Mexico side is well placed to exploit.

Facts and Statistics

5 key facts about this World Cup opener:

• Mexico and South Africa met only once before in official competition - in the 2010 World Cup opening match, which ended 1-1 in Johannesburg.
• This match is the first fixture of the entire 2026 FIFA World Cup, kicking off at Estadio Azteca on 11 June 2026.
• Mexico are playing their first World Cup on home soil since 1986, when they hosted the tournament and reached the quarter-finals.
• South Africa return to the World Cup for the first time in 16 years - their only previous participation as a non-host nation was in 1998 in France.
• Mexico scored 8 goals and conceded just 1 across their last 5 warm-up matches, making them heavy favourites to win the Group A opener.