KOPANO MONAHENG
TODAY is the huge day in South Africa and the rest of the world. The FIFA World Cup takes a centre stage and Mexico are opening the 2026 FIFA World Cup as hosts, and their first match is once again against South Africa.
It’s a repeat of 16 years ago when South Africa hosted the world cup and their first opening match was against Mexico. FIFA itself has described it as a “reverse repeat” of the 2010 opening match.
Hundreds if not thousands of South African fans dressed in national team colours drove to Braamfontein to go watch the game from a big screen. It was a great experience for them though as Castle organised the big event.
This is a coincidence in the sense that the draw and tournament produced the same opening pairing without any evidence that it was deliberately arranged.
And it’s also a rare historical symmetry: the 2010 hosts faced Mexico in the opening game, and in 2026 Mexico as hosts, face South Africa in the opening game. Many supporters will remember the vuvuzelas, the first opening goal Simphiwe Tshabalala scored for Bafana Bafana. A stunning goal indeed, and the atmosphere of 2010, making this 2026 opener feel like history repeating itself. The question in many people’s mouths is: Will Castle organise another Match Viewing for the final of the FIFA World Cup?
