Ronaldinho Graces FIFA World Cup 2026 Opener in Mexico
Legendary Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho was present at the FIFA World Cup 2026 opening match between Mexico and South Africa at the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The 2002 World Cup winner expressed his delight at reuniting with friends and sports legends, adding that it is always a joy to be in Mexico.
A Historic Match at the Azteca
Mexico broke their winless streak in World Cup openers with a 2-0 victory over South Africa. The match was marked by intense physicality, with three red cards shown—two to South Africa and one to Mexico. This set a record for the most red cards in a World Cup opener, as reported by ESPN. It was also the first time since the 2006 edition in Germany that a team received two red cards in a World Cup match.
Ronaldinho took to social media platform X to share his excitement, posting: "What a joy to return to Mexico for the opening of yet another @FIFAWorldCup!!!! So happy to see all my friends and sports legends again... Surreal energy and a beautiful party from the fans!!!! Everyone knows the affection I have for this country and it's always a huge joy to be here... Let's go, this cup is gonna be way too awesome #fwc26."
Mexico's Dominance Over African Teams
This victory marked Mexico's 22nd consecutive win across all competitions against African teams, with their last loss dating back to the same opposition in the 2005 Gold Cup. The match was the 20th World Cup game held at Estadio Azteca, more than any other stadium in tournament history. Mexico continues their undefeated run at this venue.
After a seven-match winless streak in World Cup openers (five losses and two draws), Mexico finally secured their first opening-day victory with a full set of points.
Key Moments and Records
In the ninth minute, Julian Quinones scored the second-earliest World Cup goal since Philipp Lahm's goal for Germany in 2006 against Costa Rica (six minutes), according to Sky Sports. The second goal was scored by Raul Jimenez, who leveled Jared Borgetti as Mexico's second-highest goal-scorer, now six goals shy of Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez's record of 52 goals, as per ESPN.
Mexico's Gilberto Mora made his World Cup debut as a substitute in the second half. At 17 years and 240 days, he became the youngest player to represent Mexico at the tournament and the sixth-youngest overall in World Cup history. He is also the youngest player in the ongoing tournament.
Mexico's next match is against South Korea on June 19.
