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Dozens of protesters clashed with police outside the Estadio Azteca on Thursday as Mexico launched the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 2-0 victory over South Africa before a crowd of 80,000, in an opening that mixed civic unrest with historic spectacle.
Groups of teachers, relatives of the disappeared, and student activists gathered outside the stadium hours before kickoff amid a heavy police presence. Some breached security barriers and exchanged blows with officers guarding the stadium perimeter.
A handful of youths smashed vehicle windows with bats. Police responded with tear gas and mounted officers to disperse the crowd.
Inside, the atmosphere was jubilant. Julian Quinones scored the tournament's first goal in the ninth minute after intercepting a costly turnover near the South African penalty area.
Raul Jimenez, the veteran striker who nearly lost his career to a serious head injury in 2020, doubled the lead in the second half, scoring his first World Cup goal on home soil, sending the stadium into rapture.
The unrest outside the ground capped weeks of tension in Mexico City, where teachers have led rolling protests demanding better working conditions.
For a time, the demonstrations threatened to derail the city's plan to host an official World Cup fan zone in the Zocalo, the capital's famous central plaza.
In the end, thousands of fans surged into the square regardless, pushing through metal barriers in chaotic scenes just before kickoff.
The protests reflect a broader pattern in Mexican civic life, where large public events increasingly serve as flashpoints for groups seeking to amplify grievances before a global audience.
The Estadio Azteca, which hosted World Cup matches in 1970 and 1986, became the first stadium in history to stage games at three separate men's World Cup tournaments. The venue also served as the backdrop for Thursday's opening ceremony, which featured performances by Shakira, J Balvin, and Mexican acts including Mana, Belinda, and Los Angeles Azules.
The match carried additional symmetry: it was a direct rematch of the 2010 World Cup opener in Johannesburg, where South Africa and Mexico drew 1-1 in what remains the only World Cup held on African soil.
That tournament's iconic opening moment, Siphiwe Tshabalala's thunderous strike for South Africa, gave way this time to a Mexican triumph on reversed terms.
The second half grew increasingly fractious. Three red cards were shown in total, two to South Africa and one to Mexico, making it only the second opening match in World Cup history to feature three dismissals.
All three players will miss their teams' next group stage fixtures. South Africa, reduced to nine men, could not claw back the deficit, and Mexico held on for a result that gives the co-host nation an early foothold in Group A, which also includes South Korea and Czechia.
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