Raul Jimenez Backed at 6/4 as Sorloth Angle Grows
sorloth sits at the center of Mexico’s World Cup opener, with Raul Jimenez backed at 6/4 to score anytime against South Africa at Estadio Azteca. Mexico opens the 2026 World Cup at home, and the match begins the first of 104 games in the expanded 48-team tournament.
Jimenez arrives with numbers that support the price. He scored nine goals and added three assists in the Premier League in the 2025-26 campaign for Fulham, then scored again in Mexico’s 5-1 victory over Serbia in the final warm-up match.
Estadio Azteca and Group A
The opener lands in Group A, where Mexico, South Africa, the Czech Republic and South Korea are all in the mix. Mexico has not lost its opening match at a men’s World Cup since 1994, and it goes into this tournament unbeaten in 2026.
That record gives the home side a cleaner runway than most teams get at this stage. Playing South Africa at Estadio Azteca also puts Jimenez back on the first great footballing stage of his career, which gives this market a sharper edge than a routine goalscorer punt.
Jimenez After 2020
The forward’s path to this moment has not been straightforward. Jimenez suffered a skull fracture while playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020, then helped Mexico to its first CONCACAF Nations League title in 2025.
His return carries another layer after the recent death of his father. That adds weight to a World Cup opener that already opens the expanded tournament and puts Mexico under the spotlight from the first kick.
Mexico’s Openers
Mexico’s opening-match record is the practical reason the price has traction, but the pick leans on form too. Jimenez has scored in the final warm-up match, and Mexico has not dropped its first World Cup game in 30 years.
For bettors, the read is simple: the home opener, the unbeaten 2026 run, and Jimenez’s recent output all point in the same direction. South Africa has to deal with a striker who has already delivered for club and country this season, and the 6/4 line reflects that momentum.
