{"id":859365,"date":"2026-06-11T07:25:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T07:25:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/859365\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T07:25:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T07:25:24","slug":"mexico-set-to-kick-off-2026-world-cup-against-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/859365\/","title":{"rendered":"Mexico set to kick off 2026 World Cup against South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MEXICO CITY\u00a0\u2014\u00a0The Mexican national team will kick off the 2026 World Cup<\/a> against South Africa on Thursday with the weight of entertaining 83,000 at iconic Azteca Stadium and soccer fans around the globe.<\/p>\n

The match at the venue known as Mexico City Stadium during the World Cup will kick off at noon PDT and air on Fox and Telemundo. <\/p>\n

Once the ball starts rolling, the stadium\u2019s altitude \u2014 7,216 feet above sea level \u2014 will be one of the biggest assets for the Mexican lineup led by coach Javier Aguirre<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It will be Mexico\u2019s eighth opening match in a World Cup, and El Tri carries a historical burden. It has never won a tournament opener, with a record of 0-5-2, including a 1-1 draw against South Africa in the opening match of the 2010 World Cup<\/a> in Johannesburg.<\/p>\n

\"Mexico <\/p>\n

Mexico coach Javier Aguirre directs his players during a friendly against Australia on May 30 at the Rose Bowl.<\/p>\n

(Kyusung Gong \/ Ap Photo\/kyusung Gong)<\/p>\n

Aguirre will likely deploy the 4-3-3 formation he used during Mexico\u2019s final warm-up match against Serbia. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re ready; we\u2019ve been working for 22 months,\u201d said Aguirre, 67, who took the reins of the national team on Aug. 1, 2024, following Jaime Lozano\u2019s failure at that year\u2019s Copa Am\u00e9rica, when Mexico was knocked out in the group stage.<\/p>\n

Since his arrival, Aguirre has led the team to its first Concacaf Nations League title and the Gold Cup. Mexico enters the tournament on an eight-game unbeaten streak, though several of those results came against lower tier opponents and at home. The two most encouraging highlights of that streak were the draws against Belgium and Portugal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf my teams are known for anything, it\u2019s for their character,\u201d Aguirre said. \u201cMy team is just like me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The starting goalkeeper position remains a topic of debate, but it appears Aguirre has already made his decision. Guillermo Ochoa, who will be playing in his sixth World Cup with Mexico<\/a>, is considered by many to be the ideal experienced goalkeeper to use during the opener, when nerves are sure to be high. However, Ra\u00fal Rangel has been the starting goalkeeper during Mexico\u2019s past three warm-up matches, playing the full 90 minutes each time.<\/p>\n

Rangel, who was 10 years old when Mexico tied South Africa in the opening match of the 2010 World Cup and who fondly remembers El Tri\u2019s victory over France that tournament, is confident between the posts.<\/p>\n

\"Mexican <\/p>\n

Mexico could turn to veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa to calm nerves during the World Cup opener on Thursday.<\/p>\n

(Ronaldo Bolanos\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re in great shape; we proved it against Portugal and Belgium, two teams that are among the world\u2019s elite,\u201d said Rangel, who noted that Ochoa has instilled a sense of calm in the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do believe we can be champions. We have to start keeping that in mind and believe that it\u2019s possible. Not everyone can boast that they played in a World Cup on home soil.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Mexican team\u2019s lack of elite club experience, however, is obvious and could be a problem. El Tri has few players in top-tier leagues and lacks game-changers on the wings, as Diego Lainez, Uriel Antuna and Hirving Lozano were left off the final roster. Offensive output is a cause for concern. In tight matches, goals have come mainly from defenders, with C\u00e9sar Montes and Johan V\u00e1squez being the primary threats on set pieces.<\/p>\n

The commitment to youth appears to be a key factor in Aguirre\u2019s approach to building the roster. Mexican American Brian Guti\u00e9rrez brings freshness and dynamism to the midfield, alongside Erik Lira\u2019s energy. As an option off the bench, Aguirre could turn to 17-year-old Gilberto Mora, the youngest player in the tournament, who is sure to draw cheers from the crowd.<\/p>\n

For his part, South Africa\u2019s 74-year-old head coach, Hugo Broos, knows the Azteca Stadium well, having marked Maradona during the 1986 World Cup semifinals. To acclimate his players to the altitude, he held training camp in Pachuca, at an elevation of 7,979 feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis game is special. I\u2019ve played in European championships, but there\u2019s nothing like a World Cup. And we\u2019re going to play at the Azteca Stadium \u2014 it\u2019s incredible that this is going to happen,\u201d Broos said.<\/p>\n

\"South <\/p>\n

South Africa coach Hugo Broo talks with Nigeria\u2019s players during a World Cup qualifying match against Nigeria in Bloemfontein, South Africa, on Sept. 9.<\/p>\n

(Themba Hadebe \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

He expects to be challenged by Mexico.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re a very well-rounded team, with great mobility and teamwork,\u201d Broos said of El Tri. \u201cYou can tell they want to be world champions.\u201d<\/p>\n

South Africa will pose a real threat with Mbekezeli Mokoena driving the midfield and the speed of Oswin Appollis and Relebohile Mofokeng on the wings. The team\u2019s main weakness lies in finishing, as Lyle Foster is their only striker, and if he doesn\u2019t perform well, the South African side will suffer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t say we don\u2019t have a chance against Mexico, because that\u2019s not true,\u201d said Broos about his team, which is ranked 60th in FIFA rankings and will tangle with a Mexican squad ranked No. 14.<\/p>\n

Pregame entertainment will kick off at 10:30 a.m. PDT with performances by Shakira, Burna Boy, Man\u00e1, J Balvin, and Alejandro Fern\u00e1ndez. As a new ceremonial feature, all 26 players from each team \u2014 starters and substitutes \u2014 will participate in the ceremony by lining up around the tournament\u2019s central emblem on the field, rather than in the traditional pregame formation.<\/p>\n

The match is expected to be played in the rain. Protests are expected around the stadium throughout the day, including demonstrations by the teachers\u2019 union and groups representing the families of missing persons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MEXICO CITY\u00a0\u2014\u00a0The Mexican national team will kick off the 2026 World Cup against South Africa on Thursday with…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":859366,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5123],"tags":[75307,1582,276,195196,32420,350595,6137,350592,2961,224,5337,2222,350590,350591,32422,350596,350593,350598,350594,350597],"class_list":["post-859365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-ano","tag-ca","tag-california","tag-copa","tag-equipo","tag-estadio-azteca","tag-inaugural","tag-javier-aguirre","tag-la","tag-los-angeles","tag-losangeles","tag-mexico","tag-mundial","tag-mundo","tag-partido","tag-raul-rangel","tag-sudafrica","tag-titular","tag-torneo","tag-tri"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116730287252943802","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=859365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859365\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/859366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=859365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=859365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=859365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}