2026 FIFA World Cup: South Africa drawn in Group A, set for opener against Mexico
Bafana Bafana to face Mexico in World Cup opener for second time
South Africa will return to the World Cup stage next year for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2010, and we will be covering all of the teams' matches at the tournament in our in-depth football predictions.
Last week at the official 2026 FIFA World Cup draw, Bafana Bafana were drawn into Group A, alongside tournament co-hosts Mexico and South Korea, and they will be joined by a team that earns qualification via the European Playoffs.
Hugo Broos’ side also learned their fixture list, which kicks off against Mexico on June 11. Notably, this is the same opponent that South Africa faced in the opening match of the 2010 World Cup, where Siphiwe Tshabalala scored one of the most iconic goals in World Cup history.
When these sides met at Soccer City in 2010, the match eventually ended in a 1-1 draw. Since then, they faced off in the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup in the USA, and Bafana Bafana clinched a memorable 2-1 victory under the guidance of Stuart Baxter.
Some of the other headline opening round fixtures for teams from Africa include France facing Senegal in Group I. These two locked horns in their first match of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which the Lions of Teranga won.
Algeria will meet defending champions Argentina in Group J, while the fixture that will arguably be the most in focus in the lead-up to the tournament will be Morocco taking on Brazil in the first match of Group F.
Hugo Broos expresses concern over World Cup draw
While on paper, South Africa have been handed a decent group-stage draw for the 2026 World Cup, avoiding the likes of Argentina, Brazil, France, Spain and England, Hugo Broos was not best pleased with the prospect of meeting the tournament hosts first up.
The Belgian tactician explained that he did not want to have to face 80,000 energetic home fans on their immediate return to the grandest stage, though he also revealed that he felt his team had nothing to lose from the fixture.
“It’s not an easy group for us. We will face the hosts in the opening game at the Azteca Stadium, and it is going to be difficult for us there. We have Mexico and probably Denmark, which are two big teams, so it is going to be difficult for us to finish in first or second .”
Broos also mentioned that with Denmark being the most likely to join Group A, the Danes and Mexico are firmly expected to clinch the top two qualification spots, and suggested that South Africa may be able to reach the knockouts as one of the eight best third-placed teams.
