Mexico Make History with First Ever World Cup Opening Match Win

El Tri finally secured their first victory in a World Cup opener at the 2026 edition, ending a long-standing winless streak in curtain-raisers.

Mexico enjoyed a historic afternoon on Thursday, June 11, at the Estadio Azteca. After defeating South Africa 2–0 in the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, El Tri finally broke their long-standing curse in World Cup openers — earning their first-ever victory in a tournament curtain-raiser.

FIFA World Cup

Report: Mexico 2-0 South Africa

EL TRI MAKES HISTORY

It took an eighth attempt — and a sixth as sole participants — for Mexico to finally claim victory in a World Cup opening match.

Previously, El Tri had recorded two draws and six defeats in tournament curtain-raisers (including shared opening matches when multiple fixtures were played simultaneously).

Mexico failed to celebrate in Uruguay 1930 against France (1–4), in Brazil 1950 against the hosts (0–4), in Sweden 1958 again versus the host nation (0–3), at home in Mexico 1970 against the USSR (0–0), and in South Africa 2010 once more against the hosts (1–1). They also suffered defeats in Switzerland 1954 (0–5 vs Brazil) and Chile 1962 (0–2 vs Brazil), though those editions featured shared opening matches with other nations.

REVENGE AND HOPE?

This was only the second time Mexico has hosted a World Cup opener at the Estadio Azteca. Back in 1970, a goalless draw against the Soviet Union helped end their losing streak in opening matches and marked a turning point in their World Cup history.

That result closed one of the darkest chapters for Mexico in World Cups, as they went on to use home advantage to reach the second round for the first time, moving away from being among the weakest teams in the competition.

Fifty-six years later, El Tri have finally gone one step further, turning that historic draw into a long-awaited victory. South Africa — the same opponent they failed to beat 16 years ago when the African nation hosted the 2010 World Cup — became the latest symbol of redemption.

There could hardly have been a more fitting stage: the iconic Estadio Azteca, now referred to as “Mexico City” for this tournament, witnessed the end of a long-standing curse in front of home fans, at a moment when the team was under pressure and still searching for answers under Javier Aguirre. The question now is whether this breakthrough can translate into a strong World Cup campaign.

For Mexico, the win is a much-needed boost after failing to progress beyond the group stage at Qatar 2022. Before that disappointment, El Tri had reached the Round of 16 in seven consecutive World Cups since returning to the tournament following their suspension ahead of Italy 1990.