Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- The opening match of the 2026 World Cup. As hosts for a third time after 1970 and 1986, Mexico raise the curtain at the 2,250m-high Azteca. It is their 18th appearance, but having crashed out at the group stage in Qatar 2022 for the first time in seven tournaments, Javier Aguirre's side first aim to restore their place in the knockout rounds, then to better the quarter-final run of 1986.
- Leading the line in a 4-1-4-1 is Raúl Jiménez (Fulham), a 35-year-old No. 9 with 44 goals in 123 caps. He racked up Premier League goals at Wolves and won a league title at Benfica. A veteran who blends hold-up play with a clinical edge, he spearheads the hosts' attack.
- In midfield, Mexico field Álvaro Fidalgo (Real Betis), only recently called up. A playmaker who won repeated Liga MX titles with Club América, he made his Mexico debut in March 2026 after FIFA approval. His precise passing and game management set the rhythm from just ahead of the anchor.
- On Mexico's bench sit captain Edson Álvarez (Fenerbahçe), Milan's Santiago Giménez and 40-year-old goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, chasing a sixth straight World Cup. With 17-year-old prospect Gilberto Mora also in the squad, the blend of Europe-based players and Liga MX regulars gives the hosts genuine depth.
- South Africa's Bafana Bafana, under Belgian coach Hugo Broos, reach the finals for a fourth time and the first in 16 years since 1998, 2002 and 2010. Carrying momentum from a third-place finish at AFCON 2023, they set up in a defensive 5-3-2. With no Pot 1 side beyond Mexico in Group A, a realistic target is reaching the last 16 and bettering their group-stage exit as 2010 hosts.
- Spearheading South Africa's 5-3-2 is Burnley's No. 9 Lyle Foster (26). Having moved from Orlando Pirates to Monaco and worked his way up across Europe, he holds the ball up with physicality and tireless running, and has 10 goals in 26 caps.
- South Africa's first-choice keeper Ronwen Williams saved four penalties in the AFCON 2023 shootout to rank among Africa's best. How he and midfield linchpin Teboho Mokoena cope with the hosts' attack is a key watch. The punishing conditions of the 2,250m Azteca will also shape how both sides play.