Mexico and Korea Republic successful on FIFA World Cup 2026™ opening day

FIFA’s global football extravaganza, the FIFA World Cup, began with an exciting day of action in Mexico, featuring two matches from Group A. The Opening Ceremony showcased performances by Shakira and Burna Boy, who delivered the official World Cup song ‘Dai, Dai’. Following the ceremony, the tournament kicked off with Mexico taking on South Africa at the iconic Estadio Azteca.

In front of a vibrant crowd, Mexico started their World Cup campaign with a solid 2-0 victory over a beleaguered South African side, which played with just nine men. Julian Quiñones had the honor of scoring the tournament's first goal, striking from the edge of the area within ten minutes. Raúl Jiménez sealed the win with a powerful header in the second half, shortly after South Africa's Sphephelo Sithole was sent off for a foul on Jiménez. Mexico also introduced 17-year-old Gilberto Mora, marking him as the youngest player in their World Cup history, while South Africa's Themba Zwane was also dismissed late in the match.

In the day's second match, Korea Republic rallied from behind to defeat Czechia 2-1 in Guadalajara. After falling behind to a 58th-minute goal from Ladislav Krejčí, Korea equalized with an impressive individual effort from Hwang In-beom. Following a disallowed goal for Czechia by Tomáš Souček, Oh Hyeon-gyu found the net late in the game to secure the comeback victory for Korea Republic.

RESULTS
Group A
Mexico 2 (Julian QUIÑONES 9’, Raúl Jiménez 67’)
South Africa 0
(Estadio Azteca, Mexico City)
Korea Republic 2 (Hwang In-beom 67’, Oh Hyeon-gyu 80’)
Czechia 1 (Ladislav KREJČÍ 59’)
(Estadio Monterrey, Guadalajara)

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