Mexico opens World Cup 2026 against South Africa at the Azteca, chasing a first opening win in eight attempts
Javier Aguirre's side will take the field on Thursday before more than 80,000 fans, four decades after the coach himself played in Mexico's last home World Cup opener against Belgium.
The weight of history
Mexico will launch the 2026 World Cup on Thursday against South Africa at the Estadio Azteca, carrying the hopes of a football-mad nation and the burden of a statistic the hosts would rather forget: in seven previous attempts, Mexico has never won a World Cup opening match. Coach Javier Aguirre, speaking to reporters on the eve of the Group A clash, said he only learned of that record when it was put to him at the press conference. "Then we have one more reason to win tomorrow," he said. "We will break that statistic."
The 67-year-old is in his third spell as national team coach, having led Mexico at the 2002 and 2010 tournaments. He also played in the 1986 World Cup, taking the field in the opening match against Belgium at the same Azteca stadium where his players will now experience a home World Cup for the first time.
I have not had a greater emotion in 50 years in football than a World Cup at home. It is something unforgettable.
Aguirre's message to his squad
Aguirre has tried to transmit the confidence he felt as a player in 1986 to a squad preparing for an event none of them have experienced on home soil. "I remember the confidence with which we went out to face Belgium," he said, adding that he wants his players to believe "it can be a great day for us, that it can be a celebration that will be remembered for decades."
The coach stressed that the challenge goes beyond tactics. "It is not only about football, it is emotional balance," Aguirre said, warning that the pressure of opening a tournament in front of more than 80,000 fans requires careful management. "You cannot go crazy. Everyone wants to finish the game in the first half, but this lasts 90 minutes."
I remember the confidence with which we went out to face Belgium. I want to transmit to the players that it can be a great day for us, that it can be a celebration that will be remembered for decades.
The road through Group A
Mexico's group-stage schedule places the opening match against South Africa on June 11 at 13:00 central Mexico time at the Azteca. The second fixture, against South Korea, follows on June 18 at 19:00 at the Estadio Chivas in Guadalajara. The group concludes against Czechia on June 24 at 19:00, back at the Azteca in Mexico City.
If Mexico finishes first in Group A, the team returns to the Azteca on June 30 for the round of 32 against one of the best third-placed sides from groups G, E, F, H or I. A second-place finish would send the team to SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California, stripping away home advantage for the knockout phase.
- Mexico vs South Africa, Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
- Mexico vs South Korea, Estadio Chivas, Guadalajara
- Mexico vs Czechia, Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
- Round of 32: if first in group, return to Azteca; if second, travel to SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles
A nation divided between fervour and doubt
Mexico City is draped in the Tricolor, with banners, murals and shirts filling the streets. The country is hosting its third World Cup after 1970 and 1986, and the tournament dominates daily conversation. Yet that visible enthusiasm masks a more sceptical mood among the fanbase, still scarred by the group-stage exit at Qatar 2022.
Aguirre himself acknowledged the pressure. "When you are the favourite you cannot go crazy," he said. "This is 90 minutes and that pressure you have to know how to channel in your favour. This Mexico has very clear ideas, its objective."
The squad has been shaped by a 36-day training camp, a model Aguirre pushed through despite resistance from club owners. Fourteen of the 26 players will be making their World Cup debuts. The coach lost goalkeeper Luis Ángel Malagón, midfielder Marcel Ruiz and right-back Rodrigo Huescas to injury during preparation, but enters the opener with Santiago Giménez, Edson Álvarez, César Huerta and Luis Chávez all in good physical condition.
This Mexico has very clear ideas, its objective.
The scepticism and the ticket protests
Not everyone shares the coach's optimism. Polls and street-level reporting describe a public that remains unconvinced by a squad without obvious stars, despite the historical advantage of playing on home soil. Mexico's best World Cup finishes, quarter-final appearances in 1970 and 1986, both came when the tournament was held in the country. The current team has set a minimum target of reaching the quarter-finals, the same ceiling the 1986 side reached before falling to West Germany on penalties.
Alongside the football debate, thousands of Mexicans have protested what they describe as elitist ticket pricing, arguing that FIFA has priced ordinary fans out of the stadiums. The protests have added a layer of tension to an otherwise celebratory atmosphere in the capital.
Aguirre declined to name his starting eleven on the eve of the match, saying only that all 26 players are excited and that "whoever has to go out will do well." The match kicks off at 21:00 local time in Spain, where it will be broadcast on La 1 and RTVE Play.
