Javier Aguirre Leads Mexico Past South Africa 2-0 in Fifa World Cup 2026 Live

Mexico opened fifa world cup 2026 live with a 2-0 win over South Africa in Mexico City on Thursday, and the result came with seven World Cup debuts in the lineup. Julián Quiñones scored in the ninth minute, while Javier Aguirre’s debut-heavy group gave Mexico an early lead in Group A on home soil.

Quiñones Strikes Early

The first breakthrough arrived fast. Quiñones scored Mexico’s opening goal in the ninth minute after Erik Lira forced a key turnover that led directly to the chance.

Lira was making his own World Cup debut, one of seven Mexico players who were seeing the tournament for the first time. That list included Álvaro Fidalgo, Raúl Rangel, Israel Reyes, Brian Gutiérrez, Armando González and Gilberto Mora, while Johan Vásquez also made his tournament debut after traveling to Qatar but not playing there.

Aguirre’s Seven Debuts

Aguirre used the opener to hand major roles to a new group. Mexico got its result without leaning on a veteran core alone, and the lineup change was the clearest sign of the reset that followed its earliest World Cup finish since 1978 in Qatar four years earlier.

For Lira, the opening game started with a clean mental edge. “We worked hard on our mental game so the size of the stage wouldn’t affect us, and we were able to get off to a good start,” he said after the win.

Mexico City And Guadalajara

The victory put Mexico on top of Group A on goal difference over South Korea after the opener. South Korea arrived there with a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic, so the group table already has both teams level on points after one match.

Mexico’s next test comes Thursday in Guadalajara against South Korea, and the opening result gives Aguirre’s team a buffer built on early finishing and a debut group that handled the pressure. That matters in a home tournament after the collapse in Qatar, when Mexico’s run ended sooner than it had in 1978, 1970 or 1986.