Mexico vs South Africa: 2026 FIFA World Cup opening match – Prediction for June 11, 2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway on Thursday, June 11, with Mexico taking on South Africa in the tournament's opening match. Kick-off is scheduled for 21:00 CET, and I have a betting tip for this fixture.
Mexico vs South Africa: Match preview
Mexico are one of the host nations of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and therefore did not have to go through the qualifying campaign, instead using international friendlies to prepare for the tournament. El Tri also competed in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, where they emerged as champions after winning five of their six matches, including a 2-1 victory over the United States in the final.
Mexico are unbeaten in their last eight friendlies, recording six wins and two draws, and only a few days ago they thrashed Serbia 5-1. At the previous World Cup, the Mexicans failed to progress beyond the group stage after finishing third, while their most recent appearance in the knockout rounds came in 2018, when they were eliminated by Brazil in the Round of 16.
South Africa will be making only their second appearance at a FIFA World Cup. Their first came back in 2010 when they hosted the tournament, but this time they earned their place through qualification. Sixteen years ago, Bafana Bafana narrowly missed out on the knockout stage despite collecting four points, with Mexico edging them out for a place in the Round of 16 after the two teams shared the same group.
In qualifying for this year's tournament, South Africa amassed 18 points from 10 matches to finish top of their group. They also featured at the Africa Cup of Nations but were knocked out in the Round of 16 after a 2-1 defeat to Cameroon. Now they will be aiming to challenge for a place in the World Cup knockout stage.
Match facts and head-to-head
- Mexico are unbeaten in their last eight matches.
- South Africa are appearing at the FIFA World Cup for only the second time in their history.
- Mexico are one of the host nations of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
- South Africa are winless in their last five matches, recording three draws and two defeats.
- The last meeting between Mexico and South Africa ended in a 1-1 draw.
Probable line-ups
- Mexico: Ochoa; Sánchez, Montes, Álvarez, Gallardo; Gutiérrez, Fidalgo, Pineda; Alvarado, Jiménez, Quiñones
- South Africa: Williams; Mudau, Mbokazi, Okon, Modiba; Mbatha, Sithole, Mokoena; Appollis, Foster, Moremi
Prediction
This will be Mexico's first match as hosts of the FIFA World Cup, and I expect them to do everything possible to start the tournament with a victory. My recommended bet is a Mexico win.
