Mexico and South Africa will play the opening match of the World Cup. The national teams will face each other again exactly 16 years after their 1–1 draw in Johannesburg in 2010.
Mexico national football team
The co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup at the Azteca Stadium are the clear favourites. The hosts’ defence is particularly impressive, having kept six clean sheets in this phase, and as Mexico have also scored 15 goals, fans can look forward to plenty of goals.
Mexican defender Joan Vázquez is currently in excellent goal-scoring form. In his last three matches for club and country, he has scored three goals, including opening the scoring for his nation on two occasions.
The Latin American side has always been a strong attacking force. Indeed, Mexico is considered the undisputed leader in North America among national teams throughout history.
South Africa national football team
The Bafana Bafana players are taking part in the World Cup finals for the fourth time and have qualified for the first time since the 2010 home tournament. Hugo Broos’s side have a clear goal: to reach the knockout stages for the first time. To do so, the team will need to significantly improve their form, as their last five matches have yielded three draws and two defeats – a significant step backwards following their victory in the World Cup qualifying group, where they finished ahead of Nigeria.
Oswin Apollis was involved in twice as many goals as any other South African player in the World Cup qualifiers (6 goal contributions – 2 goals, 4 assists).
Mexico v South Africa prediction
It is worth noting that Mexico led at half-time in five of their last six matches. The hosts are capable of significantly outclassing their opponents in attack.
In five of South Africa’s last six matches, both teams scored. This time, the team are likely to play defensively.
Both countries came through their most recent friendlies without sustaining any new injuries.
Given their excellent form and home advantage, a sensible bet would be on a Mexico win and at least 1.5 goals scored.
Over 2.5 goals
