MEXICO CITY — Less than 10 minutes into the 2026 World Cup, more than 80,000 souls inside the Estadio Azteca began crying out the opening lines of “Cielito Lindo,” the unofficial anthem of the Mexico national team.
As if the song was supposed to trigger Mexico’s high press, Erik Lira pick-pocketed Sphephelo Sithole and Julián Quiñones pounced on the loose ball to score the opening goal of the 2026 World Cup. The roar of an ecstatic Azteca erupted before it could even finish singing Cielito Lindo’s chorus.
Fast forward to the second half and it was the introduction of Gilberto Mora—the youngest player in Mexico’s World Cup history—that electrified the Azteca again, with chants of “Mora, Mora!” now triggering a nice move down the right wing that culminated with Roberto Alvarado finding Raúl Jiménez at the back post for the legendary Mexican striker to finally, at 35 years old, score his first career World Cup goal on his first ever tournament start. Mexico’s advantage was doubled and Jiménez established himself as the joint-second greatest goalscorer in El Tri’s history.
That header sufficed for Mexico to defeat South Africa 2–0 in the opening game of the 2026 World Cup. It could’ve been more lopsided, it could’ve been prettier, it could’ve been better overall, but winning El Tri’s first ever World Cup curtain-raiser, at the eighth time of asking, was the primary mission of Javier Aguirre’s side.
El Tri will surely already be thinking about what comes next—South Korea in a week’s time. But it’s also important for Mexico and its fans to relish and savor the opening victory against South Africa. It’s one that was 16 years in the making.
El Tri’s Déjà Vu
On a day that symbolized the start of an unprecedented World Cup that will witness 48 nations battle for glory across three North American countries and 104 matches, the curtain raiser had a unique sense of familiarity for the Mexico national team and its manager, Javier Aguirre.
Exactly 16 years ago, Aguirre was at the helm of El Tri when it tried to spoil an entire continent’s party as South Africa became the first African nation in history to host a World Cup. Immersed in a hostile environment half a world away, Aguirre combated the deafening and unmistakable sound of vuvuzelas as he barked out orders from the touchline trying to will Mexico past the Bafana Bafana and over 80,000 in attendance at the Soccer City Stadium.
Siphiwe Tshabalala’s majestic hit into the top corner and the celebrations that followed rightfully remain the everlasting memory of the opening match of the 2010 World Cup. Veteran goalkeeper Óscar Pérez was powerless to deny South Africa from taking the lead, but that didn’t stop Mexican supporters from growing increasingly angry at Aguirre’s controversial decision to bench a then 24-year-old shot-stopper by the name of Guillermo Ochoa.
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Later in the match, the nearly 100,000 people in attendance at the Azteca were finally able to sing "Cielito Lindo” without any interruptions. It was a more emotional rendition than usual, as if it was a cathartic moment that had been suppressed for far too long.
The same can be said about the prematch rendition of the Mexican national anthem, that moved players—namely Armando González—and fans alike to tears. This set the scene and empowered a rocking crowd that chanted the classic "Olé, Olé” with every pass even before the one-minute mark. Less than four minutes in, though, whistles, groans and two very vivid screams asking "what are you doing, you son of a b---,” took over when Brian Gutiérrez hit a free-kick directly at the wall.
That’s the perfect description of El Tri’s “unconditional” fanbase, it lives in the margins, toeing a fine line between the need to burn it all to the ground and the need to celebrate there’s still something worth burning it all down for.
When the final whistle blew, the Azteca as a whole exhaled before it let out one final roar, one that Mexico denied its “unconditionals” 16 years ago. The win all but guarantees Mexico’s place in the knockout rounds of the World Cup, with the expanded 48-team field leading to the creation of the round of 32, where the best eight third-placed finishers from all 11 groups will also qualify.
But perhaps what’s more important is that on June 11, 2026, exactly 5,844 days since that 1–1 draw in Johannesburg, Aguirre and El Tri finally righted their wrongs and convincingly defeated South Africa, closing the chapter on a roller coaster period in the perfect way possible, with more than 80,000 of it’s passionate supporters signing as one, "Sing and don’t cry, because sing, Cielito Lindo, makes the hearts happy.”
