Dai Dai, Three Reds and a Perfect Start

The 2026 World Cup is underway: Shakira and Burna Boy delivered the show, Mexico delivered the first win. The 2-0 victory over South Africa was festive, historic – and fiery in the end.

Mexico opens its home World Cup with a 2-0 win over South Africa – and finally celebrates a first victory in a World Cup opening match.

The biggest World Cup ever has had its first big night. At the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City – a place already loaded with football history – the tournament opened with a mix of celebration, spectacle and a match that produced more talking points than most opening games usually do.

The evening first belonged to the show. The opening ceremony brought together Mexican colors, gold-heavy staging, traditional dancers, pop rhythms and the grand setting of a stadium where Pelé and Maradona once wrote World Cup history. The highlight was Shakira and Burna Boy performing the official World Cup song “Dai Dai” live for the first time. More than 40 dancers, a parade of all 48 nations and a presentation of the World Cup trophy completed the picture. In short: a fitting curtain-raiser for a tournament bigger than any before it.

Then came the football – six minutes late, but with Mexico immediately on the front foot. The hosts pressed South Africa early and were quickly rewarded. Julián Quiñones scored the first goal of the tournament in the 9th minute, sending an already electric stadium into full celebration and giving the co-hosts exactly the start they had hoped for.

South Africa struggled to find a way into the match. The team looked overwhelmed, lost too many duels and ran into disciplinary trouble after the break. Yaya Sithole was sent off for a last-man foul, and Themba Zwane later followed after a VAR review for violent conduct. By then, Raúl Jiménez had already added Mexico’s second goal and effectively settled the match. In stoppage time, Mexico’s César Montes was also sent off. Three red cards in a World Cup opening match – that had never happened before.

On the field, Mexico’s 2-0 win was fully deserved. Historically, it mattered on several levels: it was the first match of the new 48-team World Cup, the first of 104 games – and finally Mexico’s first-ever win in a World Cup opening match after seven previous attempts. The so-called opening-game curse is over.

For the ProXES betting game, the first points are now on the board. The first patterns are visible – and this World Cup has already shown that it will not only be bigger, but also harder to predict. Two goals, three red cards, one happy host nation: the opening night could hardly have delivered more talking points.