Mexico opened the 2026 World Cup with a 2-0 win over South Africa, and Julián Quiñones was part of the moment that gave the host side a clean start in the first match of the tournament. Raúl Jiménez added the other goal at Estadio Azteca in Ciudad de México, turning the opener into the result Mexico had been chasing for years.
For fans searching for 2026 World Cup Matches, the reason is simple: this was not just any win. It was Mexico’s first victory in eight World Cup opening matches, a result that finally broke a long run of difficult starts and set the tone for a tournament that is being held in North America for the first time in a men’s World Cup since 1994.
The size of the win mattered, but so did the way it was played. Three red cards turned a controlled opener into a rougher, more volatile match than the scoreline suggests. Red cards are the game’s most severe punishment, and three of them in one match signal a contest that kept breaking out of shape even as Mexico stayed in front.
That mix of celebration and disorder carried beyond the stadium. Fans gathered at Galvan’s Eatery in Cotati to watch Mexico’s win, a small reminder that the opener was being followed far from Ciudad de México as the tournament began to take hold. The start also puts attention on the next team to enter the field, with the United States scheduled to begin its World Cup participation on Friday, June 12 at 6 p.m. at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood against Paraguay.
Mexico got the opening night it wanted, even if the match did not stay tidy from start to finish. Quiñones’ goal helped deliver the result, and the first test of the tournament ended with Mexico on top and South Africa left chasing a game that had already slipped away.
