If the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Mexico vs South Africa, is anything to go by, football fans are in for an absolute rollercoaster ride over the next month.
Hosts Mexico opened their campaign with a 2-0 victory over South Africa in a match that had everything: early goals, red cards, tension and plenty of social media debate.
J. Quiñones gave Mexico the perfect start, finding the back of the net in the 9th minute to send the home crowd into celebration.
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South Africa’s task became even more difficult five minutes into the second half when Y. Sithole was shown a red card in the 50th minute, reducing Bafana Bafana to 10 men. Mexico took advantage of the numerical superiority, and R. Jiménez doubled the lead in the 67th minute.
For Jiménez, the goal carried extra emotion. At 35 years old, the Mexican striker scored his first-ever World Cup goal, a moment years in the making.
The drama, however, was far from over.
T. Zwane was sent off in the 84th minute, leaving South Africa with just nine men on the pitch. Deep into stoppage time, Mexico’s C. Montes also received a red card after blocking an attempted scoring opportunity, meaning the hosts finished the game with 10 players.
When the final whistle blew, Mexico had secured a 2-0 victory and three valuable points to begin their World Cup journey.
Yet perhaps the most entertaining part of the night unfolded away from the pitch.
Africa is a continent made up of 54 countries, and South Africa was the first of the continent’s nine representatives to take the field. One might have expected Africans everywhere to rally behind Bafana Bafana.
Instead, social media had other ideas. Timelines across the continent were flooded with Africans celebrating Mexico’s goals, sharing memes and openly admitting that their loyalties lay with the hosts. Whether it was admiration for Mexican football, long-standing support built over previous tournaments, or simply the chaos that makes football fandom so unpredictable, one thing became clear: African football loyalties cannot be explained.
In what might just be the most chaotic diplomatic effort of 2026, Africans somehow found themselves shouting “¡Vamos, México!” which means ‘Let’s go, Mexico!’, while South Africa fought to keep Africa’s opening World Cup hopes alive.
South Africa may have fallen on opening night, but Africa’s World Cup story is only just beginning. Eight more nations remain, carrying the hopes of a continent that may not always support the same team, but never stops talking about the beautiful game.
Readers also read: African Teams in 2026 World Cup: Which Side Has Your Support?
