Bafana Bafana and Mexico Set to Renew a World Cup Rivalry
Sixteen years after sharing the stage in the opening match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the two teams meet again to launch football's biggest tournament.
Tšeliso MonahengTšelisoMonahengJohannesburg-Based Southern Africa Correspondent
Siphiwe Tshabalala made history when he scored against Mexico in 2010. This year sees a rematch.by Clive Mason/Getty Images
South Africa's Bafana Bafana face Mexico's El Tri in the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday, June 11, in what promises to be the marquee fixture of the tournament's first day. The occasion brings to mind the events of June 11, 2010, when the same two sides met at Soccer City in Johannesburg in the first FIFA World Cup match ever staged on the African continent.
The stakes will be high, and the worldwide audience higher still: this is the first match of the first-ever 48-team tournament — up from the 32-team format in place since France 1998; the first World Cup co-hosted by three nations — the United States, Canada and Mexico; and the third opener at Estadio Azteca, which becomes the first stadium in history to host the tournament's opening match three times, after 1970 and 1986.
A lot has changed in the 16 years that have elapsed. Siphiwe Tshabalala, who scored the opening goal in the 55th minute of that afternoon, is a certified national treasure in his home country, having played at home and abroad. The man who steered Bafana Bafana through 2010, Carlos Alberto Parreira, has been replaced by the Belgian Hugo Broos, who has occupied the position since 2021. And there is no Madiba magic to lift the team's spirits this time; the country's former president, Nelson Mandela, passed on in 2013.
Tshabalala's goal was artful, an admixture of athleticism and flair, the run urged on by the blast of the vuvuzela from four quarters of the stadium. The left winger ran onto a pass from Kagisho Dikgacoi, taking it down just before he entered the penalty area. Then, in a single uninterrupted motion, he opened up his left foot to direct the ball diagonally across the face of the goal, high into the far top corner past the despairing reach of goalkeeper Óscar Pérez.
"That was always going to be the biggest goal in my career, no matter what came after, because it touched so many lives and brought joy to so many people. I'll always love it – it's beautiful – but the goal is bigger than me as an individual," Thsabalala said in an interview.
The equalizer came in the 79th minute, when the ball floated in from Mexico's left. Captain Rafael Márquez drifted uninterrupted into the space behind Bafana Bafana's line, met the ball inside the area, and slid a low finish past goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune. Márquez is now Javier Aguirre's main assistant. Aguirre, 67, is the only man to have led Mexico at three World Cups — 2002, 2010, and now 2026 — and holds the national team's all-time wins record. Bafana Bafana exited in the group stage, while Mexico advanced to the Round of 16 before losing 3–1 to Argentina.
Of his desire to beat the South Africans, Aguirre has said: "Let's hope this is the one. We respect them a lot."
Rafael Marquez scored the equalizer against Bafana Bafana.by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Bafana Bafana last qualified for the World Cup 24 years ago, for the 2002 Korea/Japan finals. In 2010, qualification was automatic as the host nation. Yet qualifying for this year's tournament almost eluded them. Their campaign was expected to be relatively straightforward in CAF Group C, alongside Nigeria, Benin, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, and Lesotho. Then, in March 2025, they fielded suspended midfielder Teboho Mokoena against Lesotho, a lapse that prompted FIFA to overturn the result to a 3-0 forfeit in Lesotho's favor, dropping Bafana Bafana to second place behind Benin on goal difference. They eventually beat Rwanda 3-0 at home in Mbombela, reclaimed the top spot, and went through.
El Tri have their own narrative arc with the World Cup. The team lost in the Round of 16 across seven consecutive tournaments (1994–2018), a streak Mexicans call the Curse of El Quinto Partido (the Fifth Game). Their best-ever finish remains the quarterfinals, in 1970 and 1986, both at home. Whether the curse shall be broken remains to be seen.
This game means more to both nations than the moment alone: it is a chance to recast the stakes, an opportunity to hope for a different outcome. The world shall be watching.
If you’re in the New York City area, you can come watch the Mexico vs South Africa World Cup opener with OkayAfrica at our free watch party event in Brooklyn.
