16 years later, there are still coincidences.

Steven Piennar, a former South African player, analyzed what the opening match of the World Cup will be like between the Mexican National Team and the Africans, assuring that there are many similarities with the match from 16 years ago.

"It's a bit like the 2010 World Cup, where Mexico had a lot of quality. And South Africa had many local players, talented players, but not with much experience," considers the former South African player in an interview with Bein Sports.

The difference between Mexico 2010 and 2026

Although, the former Everton and Tottenham player does see a difference between Javier Aguirre's team in 2010 and the one in 2026:

"If I look at a Mexican team now, I don't think it's one of the best teams, to be honest. They have a very balanced team," he concludes decisively.

"I won't say there are one or two players who will say wow, compared to the 2010 team. You can look and say if you look at the 2010 World Cup, you will say, who is going to do what? They have a lot of quality," he recalls about the difference between the two Mexican teams

Strengths of South Africa

On the other hand, Piennar, who played 62 matches and scored 2 goals with the Bafana Bafana, highlights the strengths of his own team, which is led by Hugo Bross and shares Group A of the World Cup with the Czech Republic and South Korea.

"The South African team, on the other hand, is a team that has been together for a long time," analyzes Piennar.

"It's a team with a coach who knows the players very well. They have been together for a long time. The winning mentality in that team is incredible," comments the former number '10' player.

They have played tournaments together. The coach knows the team. The players know the coach. So I think that, if I have to compare the 2010 team, I think this team has a better chance of winning in Mexico."

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