Thursday, 11 June | Mexico City Stadium
13:00 (Mexico City) | 21:00 (Pretoria)
Co-hosts will raise the curtain on the biggest-ever World Cup when the first match of the 104-game extravaganza kicks off with their Group A meeting against . By a twist of fate, the clash is a reverse repeat of the opening game of the 2010 tournament, when Bafana Bafana were the host nation. Hugo Broos' side secured their place at a fourth global showpiece by finishing top of Group C in CAF qualifying. Left-back Aubrey Modiba is expected to be fit for South Africa after recovering from a hamstring problem.
Rangel; Gallardo, Vasquez, Montes, Reyes; Gutierrez, Lira, Fidalgo; Quinones, Alvarado, Jimenez
Williams; Mudau, Okon, Mbokazi, Modiba; Mokoena, Sithole, Mbatha; Moremi, Foster, Appollis
Sixteen years ago to the day of their 2026 clash, in the opening game of the first-ever World Cup to be staged in Africa. Siphiwe Tshabalala etched his name in the history books with a spectacular opening goal to send the home fans into raptures, before Rafael Marquez - who will be present at the game once again as an assistant to Javier Aguirre - responded for El Tri.
For where to watch information on Mexico v South Africa dedicated to your location, visit our , which will be updated with all broadcaster details closer to the tournament. Fans can also follow all the action via the with team news, live blogs and in-depth statistics on every fixture.
Visit our dedicated tickets and hospitality page to find more information on available and all FIFA World Cup games.
A true coliseum of world football and the first to host a third FIFA World Cup, - which welcomed the likes of Pele and Diego Maradona across two pulsating World Cup finals in 1970 and 1986 - will once again take centre stage. Five World Cup matches will be played here, including Mexico's first and third group games, and two knockout stage fixtures.
Sources: FIFA Official
