Follow Mexico vs. South Africa live as the World Cup gets underway, with score updates, highlights, team news, lineups, key moments and how to watch the opener.

Mexico looks to open its 2026 World Cup bid with a win over South Africa at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on Thursday at noon PDT (Fox, Telemundo).

Mexico vs. South Africa

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will get underway today as Mexico hosts South Africa at the iconic Estadio Azteca. Join us as we count down to kickoff, and get involved by chatting with us here or by emailing live@theathletic.

MEXICO CITY — Mexico usually hits a wall when it plays on the opening day of the World Cup . Of the seven previous occurrences, El Tri’s record is five losses and two draws. Mexico gets another shot Thursday when it hosts South Africa to kick off the 48-team tournament .

As the 23rd World Cup kicks off at the Azteca, Javier Aguirre's rejuvenated El Tri look to translate their strong pre-tournament form into a statement win against South Africa

The opening match of any World Cup is a must-watch for fans of the beautiful game. These spectacles only come around once every four years, so they are extremely specia

Here we go then, the 2026 World Cup has finally arrived and the opening match of the competition is set to get under way this evening and we will bring you all the news throughout the day.