Mexico Open with a Bang — and a Record Three Red Cards

Mexico got the 2026 World Cup under way with a 2-0 win over South Africa at Mexico City Stadium — but the result was overshadowed by chaos. Three red cards, the most ever shown in a single World Cup match, reduced South Africa to nine men.

For the hosts, three points and a clean sheet were the perfect start in front of a roaring home crowd. For South Africa, an afternoon to forget, undone by indiscipline as much as by Mexico''s quality.

It was a dramatic, slightly surreal curtain-raiser — a reminder that the World Cup''s opening day can deliver the unexpected before a ball is even kicked in anger elsewhere.