Match	Betting Tip
Mexico vs. South Africa	21/50 (1.42) with bet365

Mexico is ranked 14th in the world, and South Africa is 60th
El Tri are unbeaten in their last eight matches
South Africa has been without a win for five matches

Back Mexico to win at 21/50 (1.42) with bet365

Back the match to end in a draw at 21/50 (1.42) with bet365

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World cup match Mexico vs South Africa

The 2026 World Cup kicks off on Thursday with co-hosts Mexico facing South Africa at the iconic Azteca Stadium.

The Mexicans are in good form, and as a result, the bookmakers have them as firm favourites with bet365 pricing them up at 1.40. South Africa is 7/1 (8.0) to pull off a shock win, with the draw at 7/2 (4.50).

Given the form of both teams in recent months, we expect to see Mexico win a tight encounter by a goal or two to nil.

Why you should tail the bet:

Mexico are the higher ranked team and have several players based in the top leagues around the world. The majority of South Africa’s team play domestically.
The co-hosts are playing in their iconic Azteca Stadium home and will be roared on by over 80,000 fans.
Mexico haven’t lost any of their previous seven World Cup opening matches, winning five and drawing two.
Veteran Raul Jimenez will be playing in his fourth World Cup finals. His inclusion gives the co-hosts plenty of experience up front and a possible tournament top scorer.
The two teams last met in the opening match of the 2010 World Cup on the exact same date 16 years ago. Honours were even after a 1-1 draw.
South Africa have not competed at the World Cup since hosting it in 2010.
They were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by Jamaica in their final warm-up match last weekend.
Bafana Bafana have struggled for goals in recent games, scoring just four times in their previous five outings.

Mexico - South Africa: Team News

Luis Angel Malagon and Marcel Ruiz were both ruled out of Mexico's World Cup squad a few weeks ago with long-term injuries. Included in the squad, Cesar Montes, Edson Alvarez, Luis Chavez, and Alexis Vega, all appear to have shaken off recent niggles after playing in Mexico’s 5-1 win over Serbia last week.

South Africa were deprived of the services of Thapelo Morena and Mohau Nkota for the World Cup due to injuries, Neither player is part of their 26-man squad. From the traveling party, Aubrey Modiba has been a fitness concern over recent weeks, but head coach Hugo Broos has stated he expects the left-sided defender to play.

Mexico - South Africa: Lineups

We expect Mexico to line up like this:

Raul Rangel, Jorge Sanchez, Cesar Montes, Johan Vasquez, Jesus Gallardo, Alvaro Fidalgo, Erik Lira, Brian Gutierrez, Roberto Alvarado, Raul Jimenez, Julian Quinones.

And South Africa should line up like this:

Ronwen Williams, Aubrey Modiba, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Ime Okon, Khuliso Mudau, Jayden Adams, Teboho Mokoena, Oswin Appollis, Relebohile Mofokeng, Tshepang Moremi, Lyle Foster.

Back Mexico to get their World Cup off to a winning start at 21/50 (1.42) with bet365

Top 5 Facts About Mexico vs. South Africa Match

The Red Cards: It is officially the first time in World Cup history that an opening match featured three red cards (Sithole, Zwane, and Montes).
Gilberto Mora: At 17 years and 240 days old, he officially broke the record as the youngest Mexican and CONCACAF player to ever play in a World Cup, putting him sixth on the all-time global list.
Raúl Jiménez: He finally got the World Cup monkey off his back with that 67th-minute header, which also tied him with Jared Borgetti for second place on Mexico's all-time scoring list (46 goals).
South Africa: They unfortunately became the first team to see two players sent off in a single match since that wild, chaotic Portugal vs. Netherlands game in 2006.
The Streak: Mexico broke their historic "opening-game curse." Entering the match, their record in World Cup openers was a rough 0 wins, 2 draws, and 5 losses. The 2-0 win completely flipped the script!

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Sports Writer

Dean Etheridge

Sports Writer

Alongside his expert betting tips, Dean writes about all the latest sports news. He’s always on top of what’s going on in the world of sports, whether that’s player transfers, league updates, or race disruptions. He’s got the latest stories, and you can trust that every aspect has been verified across multiple sources.

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