Mexico vs South Africa live online: Score, stats, goals and updates | 2026 World Cup Group A

Los Angeles Azules opened up the festivities to this World Cup pre game celebration. The clock is ticking. The players are out on the pitch and this is actually happening. The World Cup is just a half hour from starting. 

Mexico's XI

We have our first starting XI of the World Cup that has been published. Javier Aguirre is going with Reyes. Montes, Vazquez and Gallardo in the back. In the middle it's Lira, Fidalgo, Gutierrez and Alvarado and Quinones and Jimenez up top. It's the expected XI, and one that should provide plenty of attacking opportunity as the back four look to keep locking down in the defensive third. 

Awaiting the XI's

Any moment now the XIs from each side should be coming out. Will Aguirre go with his three musketeers up top? Will he look for a bit more of a defensive eleven? Could we maybe just maybe see a surprise appearance in goal from Memo Ochoa? I heard some Mexican experts pondering the idea in the last game, considering that South Africa isn't figured to test the keeper to early or often tonight. 

World Cup 2026

FIFA reveals the World Cup’s Golden Ball, Golden Boot and Golden Glove trophies for 2026

They are considered the secondary trophies after the real prize that each player comes into this week dreaming about. The World Cup is the ultimate goal, but a Golden Boot or a Golden Glove can chance a players life forever. It doesn't just make a nice ornament over the fire place. Being awarded either one puts you on a legendary list of some of the game's greats. 

World Cup 2026

Ahead of kick-off, tickets for Mexico vs. South Africa opener surge in price

If you are in the Mexico City area, and don't have tickets to this World Cup opener apparently there are some left, but the prices are soaring as each minute passes and we near kickoff. Our Paul Reidy has more. 

Odds to win it all

When talking about favorites to win the World Cup, neither of these teams are quite in the conversation. None of the sides in Group A are figured to make too much noise in the later stages of the tournament if you believe the oddsmakers. Mexico are +6600 to win the World Cup, which is the best of any of the teams in Group A. USA are the host nation with the “best” chance at +5000 while Canada is much lower down the list. 

Mexico's dominant defensive line

Talk all you would like about the Mexico attack but it’s been the defense that has been the back bone of the success for Javier Aguirre’s side. They haven’t lost a match since November, with six wins and two draws since. In that time they have allowed just 2 goals, and one of those was a bit of a freak bounce that fell for the Serbia forward who broke a spell of over 180 minutes of keeping a clean sheet. They have have six clean sheets in their last eight matches, and will be looking to keep that run going through group stages. 

Who are Cup favorites?

The FIFA World Rankings and the favorites don't exactly paint the same picture. According to the betting markets, the defending champions aren’t the favorites to have a repeat run to lifting the cup again. Instead it is Spain who are slight favorites over France. Portugal are third on the list, ahead of England and Argentina who drop all the way down to 5th in the oddsmakers minds.

Endless buffet of summer soccer coming  

I hope you're ready and you have cleared all your plans for the summer. Once the actions starts it is barely going to stop. From today to the final on July 19th there will be just five days with no soccer. That’s 39 days and 34 of them will have something for us to watch. The group stages will run all the way to the the 28th of June. Just because the end of group stages arrives doesn’t mean we get a break. The round of 32 rolls on until the 3rd of July. And that is followed by the Round of 16 which starts on the 4th of July. Our first day with no soccer will be almost four weeks from now when the Round of 16 ends on July 7th. The quarterfinals will run from the 9th to the 11th meaning we will be without soccer for the 12th and 13th before the semis are played on the 14th and 15th. The 16th and 17th of July will get us time to get rested and prepare for the third placed game on the 18th and then the final on the 19th. There you have it. If you didn’t believe me, there’s your proof of just five days off in the next 39 days. 

FIFA World Rankings

Before we start things up here from Ciudad de Mexico lets take a look at the FIFA World Rankings before the World Cup kicks off. The defending champions, Argentina, come into the summer’s biggest even at the top of the rankings. They are first, with Euro winners Spain right behind them and France in third. England and Portugal round out the top five, and to find the first team in Group A on the rankings, you have to go to the 14th spot. Mexico is 14th in the World right now while South Africa is ranked 60th. 

Last World Cup match up between these two

These two teams met in the opening match of the 2010 World Cup when South Africa was hosting. It was a tournament that was highlighted by fufuzela, Waka Waka and Spain winning the World Cup but before that Mexico and South Africa opened the tournament, and it was the Bafana Bafana that had a sensational start to the tournament. Siphiwe Tshabalala scored a cracking goal to set the country into a frenzy as South Africa took a 1-0 lead in the first half, but Rafa Marquez would equalize 12 minute from the end of the match and each team would share the spoils. 

World Cup resume: Bafana Bafana

South Africa has a much shorter history than Meixco in this tournament. They didn't even try to enter in the first seven editions, and they were either banned or not admitted from 1966 to 1990. Since the end of apartheid they have been to the World Cup on three different occasions. The first came in France 1998, then they made the next one in Korea and Japan before hosting the 2010 World Cup. They have never been past the group stages, but with the new format this could be their best chance yet.

World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony

Don't miss our dedicated live feed building up to the World Cup 2026 opening ceremony, where you'll find Jen with the low down on the opening concert featuring none other than World Cup legend Shakira and Burna Boy. 

We are ready!

South Africa's squad

The South Africa coach’s name isn´t Hugo Boss, but it’s close. Hugo Broos is a Belgian manager who has been all over the place. He started his managerial career in 1988, and since he has been the boss of teams like Anderlecht, Trabzonspor and Genk. He was manager of the Cameroon national team in 2016/17 and took over as South Africa’s coach in 2021. He has assembled a team of some familiar MLS faces, and a whole lot of Orlando Pirates players (One of South Africa’s top teams). This is the team that Broos brought hoping to make some noise in this edition of the World Cup. 

Goalkeepers

Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns FC)

Sipho Chaine (Orlando Pirates FC)

Ricardo Goss (Siwelele FC)

Defenders

Thabang Matuludi (Polokwane City FC)

Khulumani Ndamane (Mamelodi Sundowns FC)

Aubrey Modiba (Mamelodi Sundowns FC)

Mbekezeli Mbokazi (Chicago Fire FC)

Samukelo Kabini (Molde FK)

Nkosinathi Sibisi (Orlando Pirates FC)

Khuliso Mudau (Mamelodi Sundowns FC)

Ime Okon (Hannover 96)

Olwethu Makhanya (Philadelphia Union)

Bradley Cross (Kaizer Chiefs FC)

Midfielders

Teboho Mokoena (Mamelodi Sundowns FC)

Thalente Mbatha (Orlando Pirates FC)

Themba Zwane (Mamelodi Sundowns FC)

Sphephelo Sithole (CD Tondela)

Jayden Adams (Mamelodi Sundowns FC)

Forwards

Oswin Appollis (Orlando Pirates FC)

Tshepang Moremi (Orlando Pirates FC)

Lyle Foster (Burnley FC)

Relebohile Mofokeng (Orlando Pirates FC)

Thapelo Maseko (AEL Limassol)

Iqraam Rayners (Mamelodi Sundowns FC)

Evidence Makgopa (Orlando Pirates FC)

Kamogelo Sebelebele (Orlando Pirates FC)

Mexico's squad list

There are some legends. There are some youngsters. There are stars and there are some young guns. The Mexico squad has a good mix and an experienced manager that knows what it’s like to play on the biggest stage in the sport. The 26 man list was named a little over a week ago. The question remains, will this squad have what it takes to take Mexico farther than they have ever gone before in the World Cup?

World Cup kickoff, Mexico vs. South Africa 

It has been 1,270 days since Argentina lifted their third World Cup in the history of the competition. The wait is over. The anticipation is through the roof. Today we kick off World Cup 2026 and we do it on the home soil of one of the co-hosts from the Estadio Ciudad de Mexico. It's a Group A match up to get a month long marathon as Mexico and South Africa open up the summer’s biggest event and AS English will be with you all afternoon providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of game 1 of 104.