We’re off and running at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and if the opening day was any indication, we’re in for one helluva tournament.
Five goals and two wins — one from co-hosts Mexico, the other a fantastic comeback effort by South Korea — set heartbeats racing on Thursday, with the fans in attendance in both Mexico City and Guadalajara enthusiastically showing their appreciation for the entertaining football produced on Matchday 1.
Mexico’s best showings at the World Cup came in the ones it hosted, reaching the quarterfinals in 1970 and 1986. It’s far too early to suggest El Tri can make a run to the final eight for the third time. But Thursday’s win over South Africa should give Mexican supporters every right to believe.
South Korea, meanwhile, will feel pretty good about itself after getting the better of Czechia, hoping it’s the first step towards equalling its best-ever showing – a semifinal showing on home soil in 2002.
Mexico wins, but coach Javier Aguirre unimpressed
It took 16 years but Mexico finally exacted revenge on South Africa with a rampant win in Thursday’s opening match of the 2026 World Cup. This was a rematch of the curtain raiser at the 2010 tournament when South Africa pulled off a major surprise by holding Mexico to a 1-1 draw in Johannesburg.
Julián Quiñones’s goal in the ninth minute off a South African defensive miscue set Mexico on its way before a rabid crowd of 80,824 in Mexico City, before Raúl Jiménez’s header in the 67th minute put the game away after the visitors were reduced to 10 men earlier in the second half. Two more players saw red late in the contest, including Mexico’s Cesar Montes in the dying minutes to put a bit of a damper on the festivities for El Tri. Despite the convincing victory, the host’s display didn’t impress coach Javier Aguirre, who told reporters, “This was a 4-0 match, we didn’t play good enough, but people are happy.”
One has to wonder what more Aguirre would have liked to have witnessed from his side, aside from a few more goals, as Mexico was dominant against South Africa. The hosts were on top of the visitors whenever they were in possession, not giving them any room to breathe, and were lightning quick on the counter. Mexico attacked in waves and put the Africans under constant pressure to the pure delight of the Mexican fans inside the iconic Estadio Azteca, which became the first venue to host three World Cup openers in the tournament’s history after doing so in the 1970 and 1986 tournaments.
“We know it’s a huge responsibility, because 11 Mexicans are representing a country of 180 million people, so we did the best we could, and from the moment the referee started the match, we went out there to win,” substitute Érik Lira said.
13 minutes were the difference for South Korea
South Korea looked a bit more dangerous going forward in attack against Czechia in Guadalajara, especially in the first half, but it was the Europeans who opened the scoring in the 59th minute through captain Ladislav Krejci. A sucker punch of a goal, it temporarily knocked the wind out of the Koreans, who had carried the bulk of play during the second half up until that point.
But the Taegeuk Warriors quickly picked themselves off the mat, dusted themselves off and turned the game on its head with a magical 13-minute spell that saw them take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. In the 67th minute, the Koreans equalized when Hwang In-beom corralled a pass into the box from Lee Kang-in and then beat goalkeeper Matěj Kovář with a chipped shot inside the far post.
Hwang then turned provider off a sweeping attacking move when Paik Seung-ho played a fabulous ball over the top of the defence into the path of Hwang In-beom, who continued his run down the right flank. He kept his cool in centreing a ball for Oh Hyeon-Gyu to fire home in the 80th minute, completing a much-deserved come-from-behind win for the South Koreans.
With the game tied at 0-0, Czechia captain Ladislav Krejci broke the deadlock in the 59th minute against the run of play. Just moments after South Korea came close to scoring, Czechia won a throw-in deep inside the Koreans’ half. Vladimir Coufal’s delivery into the penalty area was near perfect, as Krejci made a late run to the edge of the six-yard box where he thumped it home with a powerful header while surrounded by three Korean players.
The refs could be in for a long and busy World Cup if the tournament opener is anything to go by:
1. Julián Quiñones (Mexico): The livewire winger opened the scoring early with a sublime finish, grew stronger as the game wore on and nearly added a second goal when he hit the post later in the first half. Finished with a game-high five shots.
2. Hwang In-Beom (South Korea): The former Vancouver Whitecap scored South Korea’s equalizer via a nifty chip shot and then collected an assist on the game winner when he played a great ball across the box for Oh Hyeon-Gyu to finish off.
3. Raúl Jiménez (Mexico): He was a driving force behind the Mexican attack and made it 2-0 with a great header as he scored his first World Cup goal at age 35. And really, he could’ve had a hat trick.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 27 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.
