Nine-Man Bafana Bafana Lose Opening World Cup Match By Two Goals
Bafana Bafana kicked off their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a loss to Mexico at the Mexico City Stadium on the 11th of June 2026. The rematch of the 2010 World Cup encounter, the opener of the South African installment of football’s greatest tournament, ended in a two-nil victory for the co-hosts, with Bafana also picking up two red cards in the process, while El Tricolor also got cut down to ten men during stoppage time.
The widely anticipated match was off to a flyer for the North Americans as soon as the 9th minute, with Columbia-born Mexican forward Julian Quinones finding the back of the net.
Bafana defend Ime Okon in action | SUPPLIED
Bafana found themselves in a fix after 27-year-old midfielder Yaya Sithole saw red from the referee four minutes after the start of the second half. He was shown the sidelines by the ref after denying Brian Gutierrez a goal-scoring chance. It was the first send-off of the match.
Mexico went two-up when the clock hit 67 minutes, thanks to a header from Raul Jimenez.
Hugo’s charges were once again reduced, down to nine men after Mamelodi Sundowns FC’s attacking midfielder Themba Zwane pulled a reckless challenge against forward Roberto Alvarado, a slap on the face, outside the box. After a VAR check, Zwane, who came in as a substitute in the 61st minute, was promptly dismissed.
The game saw a third red card, this time it was shown to Mexican skipper Cesar Montes in the 92nd minute of the face-off.
Raul Jimenez celebrating his goal | SUPPLIED
The loss left South Africa with zero points and two more games left to play.
Bafana’s next encounter will be against the Czech Republic on the 18th of June 2026 in the United States at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, where they will be hoping to claw their way back into making it out of the group stages.