Three red cards mar World Cup opener as 10-man Mexico beat nine-man South Africa

Mexico edged South Africa 1-0 in a chaotic World Cup 2026 opener that produced three red cards, leaving both sides reduced to their bare bones before the final whistle.

Julian Quinones gave Mexico the lead in the eighth minute, and South Africa’s afternoon unravelled from there. Sphephelo ‘Yaya’ Sithole became the first man dismissed after fouling Brian Gutierrez on the edge of the South African penalty area, denying a clear goalscoring opportunity — a decision that drew little argument.

The second red card, in the 84th minute, was far more contentious. Themba Zwane became embroiled in a grappling contest with Roberto Alvarado on the left flank. Zwane’s left arm made contact with Alvarado’s face, and referee Wilton Sampaio was summoned to the pitchside monitor by VAR before showing Zwane a straight red for violent conduct. Body-cam footage later made the contact clearer, but the call divided opinion immediately.

“I think the decision is extremely harsh,” said Ally McCoist in ITV’s broadcast, arguing Zwane’s movement was natural given his body position. Former USMNT forward Landon Donovan echoed that view in the US coverage: “That’s a harsh red card, I can’t see that being a red card.”

Mexico were not spared the drama either. Left-back Cesar Montes cynically tripped Khuliso Mudau as the South African drove into the penalty area in the closing stages, and Sampaio produced a third straight red card of the afternoon. VAR analyst Christina Unkel explained there was insufficient evidence for the system to overturn the on-field call, so Montes walked.

It marked the first time a World Cup match had seen two teams each receive multiple red cards since Portugal and the Netherlands both had two players dismissed in their ferocious 2006 round-of-16 clash.

All three dismissed players will serve automatic one-match bans. Sithole and Zwane will miss South Africa’s next group game against Czechia on 18 June, while Montes is ruled out of Mexico’s fixture against South Korea on 19 June. FIFA retains the right to extend any of the suspensions if it deems further sanctions warranted.