Mexico 2-0 South Africa: Red cards dominate World Cup opener as Cesar Montes dismissal creates selection headache

Co-hosts Mexico started their 2026 World Cup campaign with a comfortable 2-0 victory over nine-man South Africa at the iconic Estadio Azteca.

After crashing out in the group stage in 2022, Mexico have already settled any nerves with a dominant display in a World Cup opener that produced three cards.

One of those went to Mexico centre-back Cesar Montes, who was punished for a rash challenge in the closing stages of the contest.

Experienced head coach Javier Aguirre will be frustrated with the late dismissal because he will now be forced to make a change to his backline for Mexico's second Group A fixture.

Mexico 2-0 South Africa: What just happened?

The opening match of the 2026 World Cup produced a repeat of the first contest from the 2010 edition, when South Africa played out a 1-1 draw in their home tournament.

However, this clash lacked the competitiveness from that meeting in Johannesburg, as South Africa struggled to create any real clear-cut chances in a one-sided contest.

To make matters worse, Bafana Bafana were the architects of their own downfall when Yaya Sithole lost possession on the edge of the box from Ronwen Williams's straight pass.

Quinones duly punished the South African midfielder, whose World Cup dream turned to a nightmare when he was dismissed for making a last-man foul in the opening stages of the second period.

As it proved, Wilton Sampaio would brandish two more red cards, but not after Raul Jimenez effectively sealed the win with a goal that left the former Fulham striker visibly emotional.

Mexico-South Africa: The big talking point

Would you believe it's a THIRD red card in the opening game! ?

Referee Wilton Sampaio sends off Mexico's Cesar Montes pic.twitter.com/bFuL5pV6Zu
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 11, 2026

Montes was the third individual to be given his marching orders, receiving a straight red in stoppage time and not long after Themba Zwane was sent off for throwing an arm into the face of Roberto Alvarado.

The Mexico skipper made a cynical foul to bring an abrupt end to Khuliso Madau's marauding run just outside the box.

The initial expectation was that Montes would receive a yellow card, and in a previous era he would have done.

However, the referee took umbrage with the fact Montes made no attempt to play the ball as he stepped across the South African wing-back with the only intention to bring him down, especially as it stopped the potential to square the ball for a goal-scoring opportunity.

Those in the VAR room agree with Sampaio's decision, even if the Lokomotiv Moscow defender will feel a little hard done by.

Montes red card: The bigger picture

Montes's third red card in international football had no impact on the outcome of a comfortable win for the co-hosts.

However, he will need to serve a one-match ban, ruling him out of next Thursday's second group game against South Korea.

While it would be a surprise to see Montes face a tougher punishment, FIFA's disciplinary committee reserves the right to extend a suspension period when they see fit.

Mexico will, crucially, lose a key defender and one of the main leaders, demonstrated by the fact Montes started the game as captain with the usual skipper, Edson Alvarez, on the bench.

The situation is less-than-ideal because Aguirre will know his defence will be put under greater pressure by a South Korean team that boasts top-quality attackers like Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in.

That said, the ban will present an opportunity to one member of Mexico's World Cup squad, with Luis Romo the obvious candidate to fill the void next to Johan Vasquez in centre defence.

The key stat

There was always a strong possibility that the 2026 World Cup would produce more red cards than the 2022 edition, purely because there are 40 more games in this competition.

However, no one would have expected that the 2026 tournament would already be just one red card from equalling the tally of four from Qatar.

What happens next?

Once they have celebrated their victory, Mexico will quickly start their preparations for the meeting with South Korea, with Aguirre set to use the time on the training field to evaluate and decide upon the best replacement for Montes.

The Mexico vice-captain will then hope to be back in the starting lineup for the final group game against the Czech Republic.