South Africa will begin their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a symbolic rematch of the 2010 opener as they take on Mexico in Mexico City today, June 11 — exactly 16 years after Siphiwe Tshabalala’s iconic strike united a nation.
At Soccer City (now known as FNB Stadium for sponsorship reasons), Carlos Alberto Parreira’s South Africa side defied expectations to earn a 1–1 draw in the tournament’s opening match, before ultimately exiting at the group stage following a 3–0 defeat to Uruguay and a 2–1 win over France.
Hugo Broos’ current squad arrives in Mexico under similar underdog status, with preparations for the 2026 tournament marked by inconsistency and mixed results.
South Africa’s recent form includes a disappointing 0–0 draw with Nicaragua in Johannesburg and a 1–1 behind-closed-doors draw with Jamaica in Pachuca, a result that left Broos openly frustrated. Lyle Foster scored for Bafana Bafana, while Dwayne Atkinson netted for Jamaica.
“The performance was not what I expected,” Broos said, reflecting on the Jamaica match. “We have to analyse the game very well and see what was really wrong and try to make it better in the next few days so that we are ready for the first game against Mexico.”
He added: “It was, for me, a disappointing game. I have to look at what went wrong. It was also a matter of mentality. We have to do much more than we did if we want good results at the World Cup.”
Mexico, meanwhile, head into the fixture in strong form, having gone eight consecutive friendly matches unbeaten in 2026. Their recent results include wins over Ghana (2–0), Australia (1–0) and Serbia (5–1), underlining their momentum ahead of the tournament opener.
Seven hours after the opening World Cup match kicks off, Group A rivals South Korea and Czechia will also meet in their first fixture of the competition.
In the expanded 48-team format, the top two sides from each group will automatically progress to the round of 32, alongside the eight best third-placed teams across the 12 groups.
Match Details
Date: Thursday, June 11 — 9 p.m. CAT (1 p.m. local time in Mexico City; 7 p.m. GMT; 8 p.m. BST)
Venue: Estadio Azteca (Estadio Banorte)
Broadcast: SuperSport (DStv channels 201, 202, 203, 235), SABC 1, SABC 3, and SportyTV app