Overview:
Ironically, the fixtures comes on the same day, exactly 16 years after South Africa and Mexico famously played out a 1-1 draw in the opening match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Johannesburg.
South Africa head coach Hugo Broos is wary of the atmosphere expected inside the Estadio Azteca as his side take on co-hosts Mexico in the opening match of the 2026 Fifa World Cup.
The Bafana Bafana make a return to the global showpiece for the first time since they hosted the 2010 edition and none of their players were present then.
“You know, it will be a special and fantastic experience for us because my players have never played in this kind of situation before,” said Broos.
“It will be very important for us to stick to our game plan and not be distracted by what is happening in the stands. We all know there will be thousands of Mexican supporters inside the stadium and maybe only a few South Africans.”
The Belgian who has been at the helm of Bafana Bafana since 2021 however says they will draw inspiration from the millions of South Africans rallying behind them from home.
“We know that we have the support of the nation, and we have felt it over the last few days and during our preparations in South Africa,” he said.
“All of South Africa is supporting us. This is something we have to remember when the game starts on Thursday – that we are playing for our nation. We are playing for all those people who believe in us.”
Ironically, the fixtures comes on the same day, exactly 16 years after South Africa and Mexico famously played out a 1-1 draw in the opening match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Johannesburg.
How to watch
All 104 matches will be live on DStv on four dedicated FIFA World Cup Channels in multiple languages. The Channels are FIFA World Cup Central (Channel 222), FIFA World Cup Extra (Channel 223), FIFA World Cup Pass (Channel 225), and FIFA World Cup Swahili (Channel 224).
