How will the Mexico vs South Africa opening match start, lineup and plan

The four-year wait for football fans is about to end. In just a few hours, the curtain will rise on the biggest football event in history at the historic Estadio Azteca stadium in Mexico City. The 2026 World Cup, jointly organized by the United States, Mexico and Canada, is unique for many reasons. The first 48 teams in football history.

However, just 90 minutes before the start of the football festival, four-time Grammy-winning global superstar Shakira will be coming to the gallery to entertain. Colombian singer J Balvin and South African Tyla will spread their musical magic with her. As soon as the grand atmosphere of the opening ceremony ends, the referee will blow the whistle, and the opening match between Mexico and South Africa will begin.

If you look back at the pages of history, this match will take football fans back to a memorable past of 16 years ago. The two teams also faced off in the opening match of the first World Cup held on African soil in 2010, where the match ended in a 1-1 draw in Johannesburg.

On Thursday (June 11) at 1 pm local time in Mexico (1 am Bangladesh time), they will face each other again on the same stage, in the first match of the World Cup. However, this time the advantage is in Mexico's favor, as they will play in front of the thunderous screams of more than 80,000 rabid La Tri fans at home. In addition, Mexico's historic Estadio Azteca stadium is going to create a unique feat in football history, becoming the first venue to host the opening match of three World Cups (1970, 1986 and 2026).

In the opening match at home, Mexico's experienced coach Javier Aguirre is going to organize the team with an offensive strategy. In addition to trusting Raul Rangel in the goalposts, the main responsibility for handling the defense will be on the experienced Cesar Montes and Johan Vazquez in defense. Brian Gutierrez and Alvaro Fidalgo will play an important role in keeping control of the midfield. And in the attack, the main responsibility of breaking down the South African defense will be on the shoulders of experienced striker Raul Jimenez and speedy winger Julian Quinones.

On the other hand, South Africa's Dutch coach Hugo Bruce is planning a somewhat defensive and counter-attack-based plan to stop Mexico's attack. Captain and trusted gloves Ronwen Williams in the goal post, along with Khilso Mudau and Aubrey Modibara in defense, will build a wall to contain the Mexican forwards. And in the midfield, Teboho Mokoena's passing and Burnley star striker Lyle Foster and Oswin Apolis' speed in attack are going to be Bafana Bafana's main weapons in the defeat of Mexico.

Co-hosts Mexico, ranked 14th in the FIFA rankings and by the book, are the clear favorites in this match. Under coach Javier Aguirre, Mexico is entering the World Cup unbeaten in eight consecutive matches, which is the longest unbeaten streak in their history before going to the World Cup. They are also in a good mood after winning consecutive matches against strong teams like Australia, Ghana and Serbia in their last three friendlies. However, the main challenge for Mexico now is to win the desired victory while dealing with the huge expectations at home and the pressure of the gallery.

On the other hand, the preparation of the South African team, which returned to the main stage of the World Cup after a long 16 years, has not been very smooth. Due to visa complications for several players before arriving in Mexico, they did not have enough time to adapt to the Mexican climate. Even their recent form is a cause for concern; they start the tournament winless with draws with Jamaica and Nicaragua and losses to Panama in their last three friendlies. But coach Hugo Bruce's clear message is that we need to forget what's happening in the gallery and focus on our own game plan.

Looking at the history of the two teams' head-to-head matches, Mexico has won only two of the four times in the past, South Africa has won one and the other match (the opening match of the 2010 World Cup) has been drawn. These two teams are joined by South Korea and the Czech Republic in Group 'A' this time. Under the new rules, the top two teams from each of the 12 groups, as well as the eight best third-placed teams, will also make it to the 'Round of 32', which will be added for the first time.