The first game of the 2026 World Cup proved to be a routine win for Mexico over South Africa, but it was a highly eventful game. Here are five things we noticed.
The World Cup Takes No Prisoners
Yaya Sithole had a night to forget.
Four years after making his South Africa debut, the Tondela midfielder got his first taste of World Cup action. But that experience would only last 49 minutes, as he was sent off for fouling Brian Gutiérrez as the Mexican was racing through on goal.
This was the first red card brandished in a World Cup opening match since Marco Etcheverry for Bolivia against Germany in 1994, while he became just the third South African to receive a red card in the competition after Itumeleng Khune in 2010 (vs Uruguay) and Alfred Phiri in 1998 (vs Denmark).
To make matters worse, he had already played a key role in Mexico’s opening goal, too. His error, dallying on the ball and losing possession to Érik Lira on the edge of his own box after an unhelpful pass from goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, led to
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